Endless Nightmare
by erenjaegers
Summary: When unexpected circumstances lands Fujimoto Sayumi in the Sakamaki household, she encounters the six young vampires living within. Soon enough she becomes the target of their sick game but unfortunately for them, she isn't afraid to fight back, even if her life is at stake.
1. Missing

Author's Note: I finished the anime series in a single sitting and i couldn't help but start a fanfic afterwards. Uhh this chapter is kinda slow bc it's introductory but it'll speed up by chapter 2, I promise! ;u; Haha, enjoy, please rate and review~ If you wanna jump ahead on my most recent chapters, go to my profile and visit my website! (;

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><p>"Dad, say hi to the camera!" I sang in English as I directed my camcorder towards him.<p>

"Making another one of your videos again, Sayumi?" he inquired, responding in fluent English as well. "Hello, Sayumi's followers. Please teach my daughter that it's not exactly safe to be interviewing me while I'm driving!"

I giggled as I reluctantly withdrew the camera from his face, facing it towards me instead. "Since you guys have wanted to see what my dad is like, there you go! He seems like he doesn't wanna be recorded, but trust me, dad has always been the camera-hogging type."

I heard my dad scolding me in Japanese from beside me and laughed. "I'm kidding! Anyway, it's all thanks to my dad that I even have a blog, much less a successful one at that. Dad travels a lot and so sometimes he brings me along with him. It's because of him that I even have a video camera like this and get to do the things I do. Thanks, Dad."

Dad glanced at me briefly from where he sat, smiling at me gently. "You're welcome, Sayumi."

"Well, I'm on the way back home now! Everything I bought while we were in India is still in my luggage so as soon as we get settled back at home, I'll update you guys on what kind of great things I bought and saw while there. Until then, stay safe!"

I ended the video there and instantly began uploading it onto my blog. As you can probably tell, I'm a blogger. Ever since I was young, I was fascinated by photography and travel. Even when I got older, my love for those things didn't change, so I started a blog. I never would have anticipated that within a few months of starting, I would hit fifty-thousand followers, all from different parts of the world. I blogged mostly in English, since my followers spoke it, but occasionally I would post in Japanese, my first language. I had picked up English as a child, having lived in America for about two years with my mom before I decided I wanted to stay with my dad instead.

Three years after I began my blog, I now had over two-hundred-fifty-thousand followers from all over the globe. I didn't even expect very many people to enjoy what I posted, much less hundreds of thousands of people. It was still hard to believe to this day how many amazing (and not so amazing) people I had met through my blog.

We reached our home within five minutes and began to unload our luggage from the trunk of the car, noisily rolling the suitcases up the front porch where we dropped them off by the door. Our neighbor, Mrs. Ochi, waved at us as she swept her porch, her cat, Maki, stalking away from her while she was distracted. She noticed him gone and ran to catch up with him, her son, Daichi, emerging from the house after hearing all of the commotion.

"Daichi!" I hollered.

He looked over at me, tiredly rubbing the back of his head as he approached me, stopping a few feet away due to the wall that separated our two houses. "Sayumi, back from India already?"

"Yeah. I got you something. Come over for dinner later! Oh, and invite your mom, too. I'm sure she'll love what my dad's making tonight."

"Alright. So how was it?"

"Great. It was my first time there, but thanks to my handbook I was able to walk around by myself. It's a beautiful country. I'll take you there one day," I said. "What have you been up to for the past three days?"

"The usual."

"So... _nothing_."

"Right."

"Well, don't forget to get yourselves over here by seven o' clock tonight. I have some unpacking to do," I reminded, saluting him and returning to assist Dad with unloading the car.

Daichi had been my best friend since elementary school - he was tall, with jet black hair (which he occasionally dyed red, inspired by his favorite game character), bright green eyes, and a lazy attitude. In spite of being one of the top students at our school, he was known for slacking off in and out of class, ditching school to hang out at the arcade or even just to take a walk around the city. Daichi was a bit out there, but I liked him that way. He had always been a good listener and was honest and reliable, though he was sometimes unwilling to work unless he saw a purpose in the task.

Dad and Mr. Ochi, who was away on a business trip in Kyoto, had known one another since high school, and when they found out they would be living next to one another, they were thrilled. The Ochis were like family to us - thus I called Mrs. Ochi "Auntie" while Mr. Ochi was "Uncle". The relationship between Daichi and I closely resembled Dad and Uncle's friendship. If my mom was still married to my dad, I was certain she and Auntie would be close as well.

I dragged my heavy luggage upstairs to my bedroom and began to unpack, recording what I bought and the story behind each item. When I had finished my video batch, I saved it to my camera to edit later on and worked on putting my new objects into my closet, which had been reserved for all of the neat objects I had picked up from all over the world, each country with its own tier and labeled by cities and dates. The India shelf, which had previously been empty, now was full of colorful souvenirs. The labels I had made on the flight back home were simply taped to the spaces in between each item. I let out a sigh as I walked through my mini gallery, amazed at how merely looking at something I had gotten years ago brought back so many memories.

I booted up my laptop, instantly plugging in my video camera and uploading my new files for me to edit. Having edited videos hundreds of times before, only ten minutes had passed by the time I had finished splicing them together. I logged into my blog, uploading it and going through the hundreds of new comments already posted onto my video with Dad.

'Your dad is so adorable!'

'I wish I had a dad like that.'

'_Tsk tsk_, Sayumi, listen to your dad and be more careful!'

'You and your dad should make more videos together. - Mr. Fujimoto's Number 1 Fan'

'Good genes run in the family, I guess.'

'Sayumi, can you please adopt me into your family? I want to travel with you two!'

After going through comments and replying to ones that stood out, I went to take a bath and journeyed into the kitchen, grabbing a purple apron and helping Dad out with preparing dinner. We were going to have shabu shabu tonight with the Ochis, so we needed to wash and chop the veggies and get everything set up on the dining room table.

"You know, Dad," I said as I popped a cherry tomato into my mouth, "you have a fan club already. Now everyone wants us to make more videos together."

He chuckled as he chopped the bamboo shoots. "Well, whenever I have free time we can. But for now, let's focus on dinner, shall we?"

I giggled, agreeing with him. "Sure."

A few weeks later, I drove Dad to the airport, sending him off on his trip to Hong Kong. I wouldn't be joining him this time, since he wanted me to stay home and rest, so I dropped him off, hugging and kissing him goodbye. The traffic officer snapped at me to hurry back into the car, so I hastily drove off before she could fine me for dwindling so long. Instead of going straight home, I headed to the local street fair, where I met up with Daichi. We had gone to the fair every single year, never missing a single one since we were five years old. It was sort of a tradition for us to go together, so that was one of the reasons why Dad encouraged me to stay behind, knowing how important it was to me.

After playing around and winning nearly every game there, I received a phone call, allowing Daichi to take over the dart game for me as I walked to a more secluded area to pick up. The laughter and screams of children were still loud where I stood, so I was forced to cover one of my ears to filter out all of the noise.

"…Hello?"

"Hello. Is this Mr. Fujimoto's daughter?" a man asked me in English. "My name is Marcus Lin, and I work for the Hong Kong branch of Narita Tech."

"Yes, this is Fujimoto Sayumi speaking. How can I help you? Are you an associate of my father's?"

"Yes, I am in charge of the sales department in Hong Kong. I called this number after going through Mr. Fujimoto's contacts and this number happened to be the first one on the list. I'm sorry but I have some bad news, Miss Sayumi. Your father is missing."

"Wait... _what_?" I froze up in disbelief. "But… how is that possible?"

"His flight landed here in Hong Kong an hour ago. He was supposed to come and find me, and I would take him to his hotel," the man replied. "He has not picked up any of his calls and his luggage is missing as well. We have Hong Kong local authorities scouting the area for any sign of him, but he has not contacted us back in any way."

"But that's crazy," I stated. "Where could he have gone?"

"That's what we're trying to find out. I'll contact you with any updates. Please call me back on this number if you hear from him, Miss Sayumi."

Once he had hung up, I dialed my dad's number five times to no avail. Feeling suddenly sick to my stomach, I returned to Daichi and told him what was going on. We reluctantly left the fair early and went back home, where Auntie and Uncle learned about my situation. They assured me everything was going to be okay, that my dad would probably show up unharmed and probably confused as to why the police were out searching for him, but I found it hard to believe my dad would do something like wander off in a foreign country without notifying anyone beforehand.

I posted a notification and a picture of my dad onto my blog, hoping that if anyone in Hong Kong did see him, that they would contact me immediately. After three hours had gone by, no one had. I called Marcus Lin, the man who had originally told me the news, only to receive an answering machine. Fearing the worst, I lay in my bed and cried until I fell asleep.

I was jerked awake when my cell phone suddenly rang. I quickly picked it up, hoping it was my dad, but instead, it was Mr. Lin. He told me the police had checked airport security footage and discovered my dad taking his luggage and leaving the airport, getting into a taxi and driving off. The taxi driver who had given a ride to my dad told authorities he had dropped my dad off at a hotel by the beach, but when the police checked the hotel register, there was nobody by the name Fujimoto on there. They were currently tracking other leads, but it looked as if my dad had just simply vanished into thin air.

"We think he may have been kidnapped," Mr. Lin solemnly reported. "Most likely by local gangsters scouting for anyone with money. Hopefully that isn't the case, but… we will tell you if we find anything useful."

"Thank you. Please do call me back soon." I swallowed the lump in my throat as I ended the call. Just where had my father gone?

Two weeks had gone by and there was still nothing. No new leads, no new witnesses, nothing. Everyone was already beginning to fear the worst. I tried to keep my hopes up, having received support from the Ochis, family friends, and people online, but I could only lie at home, moping around hopelessly as I prayed for a miracle. A month flew by and even the Ochi family showed signs of accepting the fact that my dad was most likely gone.

One day, I received a letter in the mail addressed from Narita Tech, my dad's company. The letter was from the CEO and contained his sincerest apologies and condolences over my loss. It contained over ten-thousand dollars in cash and a detailed description of what was going to happen within a week's time. The CEO encouraged me to pack everything I could and leave the home. He stated that the police were going to investigate the house over the next few months and so I would have to stay elsewhere until everything had been thoroughly examined.

The next day, as I was packing, the delivery man came to the front door with an envelope addressed to me. I opened it up to find it contained nothing but a slip of paper and a single, golden key. The paper contained an address for a home somewhere I couldn't recognize and a short message: 'A driver will pick you up tonight at 7 p.m. to take you to your new home.' There was no return address, but I assumed it was the CEO who had found somewhere for me to live.

I packed everything I could, and as soon as 7 p.m. came I was ready to leave. The driver, a quiet, mysterious man, picked up my luggage and put it into the trunk as I went to say my goodbyes to the Ochi family. It was difficult to leave, but I held in my reluctance, knowing that within a few months, I would be back.

"Don't die," Daichi smiled, patting me on my shoulder as I headed down their front steps.

I stuck my tongue out at him playfully. "Idiot, I won't. And if I do, I'll come back as a ghost and haunt you for jinxing me like that," I teased as we both laughed. "See you in a few months, Daichi!"

"See ya."

"Miss Fujimoto, are you ready to leave?" the driver inquired as I came back towards the black vehicle. I nodded, climbing into the backseat, gazing longingly at my home as we drove away.

"Do you know who it is that I'll be staying with?" I asked the man.

"The Sakamaki family," the man replied as we stopped at an intersection. "They have children your age that you can make friends with. I'm certain you'll be in good hands there."

I felt relieved by his words, my tense shoulders immediately falling down as I relaxed. "Thank goodness," I breathed. "By the way, sir, are you their personal driver or something? You came faster than I expected – you were at the front of my house exactly at 7 p.m."

"You could say that," the man said, turning to smile at me through his dark green hair, his crimson eyes shining kindly. "Anyway, I know the Sakamaki family very well. You'll enjoy it there."

I smiled as he began to drive, the drumming of the rain outside my window soothing me. "I'm glad..."


	2. New Home

Author's Note: I find myself feeling really bad for my OC because she doesn't even realize what she's walking into. It's kinda like when you're watching a horror movie and you're yelling at the characters not to go into the room. xD I guess this is kind of a horror thing in its own way... Okay, enough of my rambling! Here's chapter 2!

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><p>The rain seemed to stop as we pulled up to the front gates of the house. The mysterious man helped me unload my luggage, the gates opening as I pushed my things along the wet pavement. Once soon as I stepped in through the gates, I fell into a state of awe, realizing that my new home was no house at all, but an enormous mansion more than three times the size of the two-story building I spent most of my life living in. I let out a sound of wonder, immediately lifting up the camera that hung loosely around my neck and taking a photograph of the magnificent house. I had traveled to so many different cities in so many different countries, yet I had never seen anything quite like this place.<p>

"Oh, right. I forgot to thank you for driving me all the way out..." I turned around, ready to pay the driver, only to find that both he and the car had already disappeared. "...here."

I scratched my head, letting out a huff as I walked onto the property, rolling my luggage beside me. The gates automatically swung closed after I had gone far enough in, creaking slightly before settling down as if it had never even opened in the first place. I snapped another photo of the gate before heading towards the house, passing by a fountain on the way and photographing my stormy reflection. The sky was still dark and dreary and appeared as if it would unleash a harsh wave of rain any moment. Cringing at the prospect of getting drenched by the dirty rainwater, I rushed onto the front porch, knocking on the door.

It almost immediately swung open to reveal a gray-haired, stern man dressed in formal clothing and with an arm folded across his torso. Without even looking at me, he took my baggage from me, walking into the house and leaving me stranded on the doorstep.

"Please wait!" I called out, following after him. I heard a dull groan behind me and whipped around, watching as the door slowly shut on its own. The man had already vanished by the time I looked back and was nowhere in sight. I scanned my surroundings for any sign of him, only to come up empty-handed. Not knowing what else to do, I decided to explore on my own and clutched my camera tightly in my hand, moving around the dimly-lit, cold house.

"Hello? Anyone else home?" I called, recalling how the man had told me there would be people my age living here as well. "Someone, anyone? …Ah, this is hopeless. I'm talking to myself." Only receiving silence as an answer hurt my self-esteem and I was quick to shut my mouth, Aside from my footsteps and breathing, there were no sounds anywhere in the house. Finding it unusual, I took a few short strides, following the intricate red carpet down the hall and up to a magnificent staircase.

An enormous, beautiful chandelier was hanging from the ceiling high above my head, its lights casting a warm glow upon the room. However, in spite of all of the light emanating from it, the second floor was shrouded in darkness. I stood there at the base of the staircase, turning around and getting a 360-degree view of the place. I could hear the rain start again outside and glanced to my right, where down the corridor the view outside the window showcased just how bad the storm was getting.

"Don't they have the heater on in here?" I inquired, shivering when a cold draft of air seeped through my clothing. "It feels colder in here than outside…"

A stone gargoyle statue perched on the banister stared at me as I passed by it, moving towards the green couch beneath a window. I peered outside, watching the rain steadily beat down upon the earth, cleansing the world after months of drought. I took a step back and bumped right into someone, letting out a yelp of surprise when I came face-to-face with a pair of crystalline green eyes. A pretty, red-haired boy smiled down at me as I jumped up in fright, falling over onto the couch in my shock.

"J-Jesus, don't sneak up on me like that!" I cried out as I steadied my rapidly-beating heart. "You nearly killed me right there…"

The boy straightened himself up, tipping his hat down as he examined me, his green eyes scanning me from head to toe, then back up to my face. "What an adorable girl," he purred, moving to pin me against the couch. He then proceeded to lick my ear, his tongue darting out and running along my skin. Horrified, I hurriedly shoved him off of me and glared at him in shock.

"What the hell?" I cried out, getting up and moving away from him.

He was surprised at first, but eventually he smiled, letting out an amused chuckle. "I love it when girls fight back, it gets me all excited inside," he said, unfazed by my hostility. "Especially girls who smell as sweet and tantalizing as you do. It makes me want to eat you all up."

"Hmm, what's this?" a voice asked from the shadows. A boy with lilac-colored hair and eyes appeared from the darkness, carrying a Teddy bear with an eye patch. I felt relieved at the sight of someone else and waved over at him.

"Hello, my name is Fujimoto Sayumi and I was told that I would be living here for the time being. Do you happen to-" I was cut off when he suddenly appeared beside me, smiling maniacally at me, his eyes wide and seeming to stare right through me.

"Can I please have a taste, too?" the boy asked, cornering me and licking me across my cheek. He pulled away, a glint in his eye as mortification crossed my features. "Raito, you're right. She's sweet. Just my type…"

"Sorry, but I set my eyes on her first, Kanato. She's mine."

Kanato turned towards him. "That isn't fair at all. I was the first one who heard her voice, you just got here before I did."

"Don't forget I'm older than you are, Kanato," Raito mocked, patting him on the head as he glanced over at me. "Sweet little girl, don't look so afraid. You're making me hot and bothered."

Disgusted, I slowly backed away, watching as the two boys watched me like I was their prey. I felt grossed out and hurriedly made my escape, only to find that someone was standing in the hallway leading towards the exit, blocking my route. He had bright red hair, though lighter at the ends, and startling green, feline-like eyes. He smirked when he saw how astonished I was and advanced towards me. Having a horrible gut feeling, I avoided him, only to have him grab onto my hand and yank me forcefully to him.

"Hey, what are you doing?" I demanded shrilly, fighting him off. His grip was too strong and only seemed to tighten as I struggled. I fearfully attempted to wriggle myself free, shouting out for someone to help. "Help! Someone, help me!"

The boy only grinned, his grip only increasing in strength until it felt like my wrist would break apart. I felt painful tears spring into my eyes as I glared at him, reluctantly allowing myself to relax, my sudden calmness satisfying the stranger. As he scrutinized me, Raito came up to me from behind, wrapping his arms around me. I instinctively stomped on his foot, elbowing him in the stomach with my free arm. He stumbled back, stunned at my violence, as the boy firmly seizing my wrist laughed in amusement.

"Don't touch me, you pervert," I ordered. "Or you're going to get what's coming for you."

"You're a feisty little one, aren't you?" the boy beside me asked, clearly enjoying himself. "What's someone like you doing in our house?"

"I'm supposed to be living here," I said, though now instead of being excited, I felt a sense of heaviness in my voice. "I was given this key here around my neck and dropped off just a while ago, though I'm starting to regret stepping foot into this house in the first place. I received such a warm welcome."

His eyes moved down to my neck, where dangling from a chain was the key I had been given. Instead of going for the key, he picked up my camera instead, fiddling with the buttons and turning it on, surfing through my photographs. Annoyed that he didn't even bother to ask me for permission, I tried to get it back from him, only to have him taunt me, holding it high above my head where I couldn't reach it. Cursing my height, I could only stand by idly as he busied himself with nosing into my pictures, occasionally smirking or letting out a mocking laugh.

"What's that, Ayato, a camera?" Raito queried, having recovered from my attack. "Seems like our little whore is quite the vain one, isn't she?"

My eyes widened at his offensive language. "What did you just call me?"

"Not so loud," an unfamiliar voice spoke from above. There was a white-haired, red-eyed boy standing atop the second floor, a scowl written across his features as he glared at me. "What's this girl doing here making all this noise while I'm trying to get some sleep? Ridiculous."

"Well, well, well, look who decided to show their face," Ayato spoke. "Subaru, I haven't seen you out like this in a while."

"Just shut up already!" Subaru yelled, startling me with his loud voice.

"Why don't you come down here and make me?" Ayato taunted. When he saw how much rage was flaring within Subaru's eyes, he couldn't help but gloat in victory. Subaru jumped off from the second floor, landing in front of me and grabbing Ayato by his collar, causing him to release both me and my camera. I rushed to protect my camera, moving away from the fighting boys, my back hitting the banister of the staircase. The path to the exit was now wide open for me and I immediately made a mad dash for it.

Just when I thought I would get away unseen, Raito showed up before me. "Now, now, where do you think you're going, my sweet little slut?" he demanded. "Don't you think it's a little rude to leave without even saying goodbye?"

"Get out of my way, you freak!" I pushed past him, Kanato standing right behind him and grinning widely at me.

"Please don't leave," he begged, though he was more ordering me not to than pleading with me. "Don't go or I'll get very angry and I might just hurt you."

"What the-" I backed away as Kanato came towards me, looking as if he would truly hurt me. Raito smiled at me, relishing in my fear as I tripped on the base of the steps, falling back onto my rear end as my heart raced wildly in my chest. Ayato and Subaru, who had stopped fighting, watched me intently as I picked myself back onto my feet, making a run up the stairs away from Kanato. I was feeling less and less welcome as the seconds ticked by, terror overriding the annoyance that had originally been dominating my system. I had only been here for ten minutes, but it was already becoming dangerous territory and I wanted nothing more than to get away from these boys.

I abruptly stopped running when something blockaded my path. A pair of sea blue orbs was keenly observing me from the top of the stairs. A tall boy with a head of beautiful golden locks, dressed in a tan-colored sweater and with a coat draped over his shoulders, stopped me in my tracks with his eyes alone. I froze over where I was standing, only steps away from the top, unable to tear my eyes from his majestic ones. The handsome boy looked at me for a moment before smiling ever-so-slightly, as if he was secretly enjoying my torment.

"Are you afraid, girl?" he inquired.

"Y-yes," I stammered, unable to determine whether he was a friend or a foe. The blond boy did not say a word as a bespectacled, attractive boy appeared at my side, pushing his glasses up and crossing his arms over his chest. Being the only one who did not appear threatening, I went towards him, Kanato managing to grab the end of my gray cardigan and tugging me down. I lost balance, struggling to maintain my footing as I pitched backwards, falling headfirst down the stairs.

I was nearly about to crack my skull on the hard marble steps when the boy with the glasses caught me by the hand, abruptly breaking my fall. My heart thumped in my chest as I stared down at the certain doom I would have met had it not been for him. However, it was too early to celebrate - Kanato took my other hand, trying to wrench me free from the other boy. I was caught in the midst of a sick game of tug o' war, each side trying to pull me to them, resulting in excruciating pain. It felt like I was about to torn into two halves by the sheer strength of their hands.

"Stop!" I hollered, mortified. None of them appeared willing to let go in spite of my efforts to fight the both of them off. "You're killing me!"

"Fighting over our little slut already?" Raito sang from the first floor. "Just look at the way she screams for someone to help her. She's just like prey before they get eaten alive."

Finally, when it seemed like I really would be ripped apart, the blond boy intercepted the fight, ordering them both to let go. They reluctantly complied and I was released from their cruel torment, my body throbbing with uncontrollable physical anguish. I felt hot, angry tears of humiliation spring into my eyes as the boys entertained themselves with my torment. I refused to cry, mustering up enough courage to glower at them.

"Are you Fujimoto Sayumi?" the blond asked.

"Yes, I am, and I think I'll be leaving now," I said. "Where's the man who took my luggage? I'm getting out of this place."

"You're not going anywhere," Ayato warned, suddenly appearing beside me when he had been downstairs just seconds ago. "The fun has only just started... human."

"For once I think I agree with Ayato," Raito remarked from in front of me. "I say we have some fun all together, the seven of us. Right here."

He grabbed me by the back of my neck, pulling me towards him as he beamed widely at me, revealing a pair of razor-sharp fangs. Ayato seized my wrist, licking my skin and grinning at me.

"Your pulse is racing," he commented.

I suddenly realized with a start that these were no ordinary teenage boys, but vampires. I had always doubted their existence, believing them to be creatures romanticized by mythology, but now, as I met their threatening, glowing red eyes, I was rapidly beginning to regret ever getting into the mysterious vehicle in the first place. As Raito and Ayato bared their fangs, preparing to strike, I let out a blood-curdling shriek.

Please, God, _anyone_, help me...


	3. Imprisoned

Author's Note: To be honest, seeing your reviews make me so happy even if its something really simple and straightforward! I've already written up to chapter 5 so I'll be uploading this frequently!

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><p>Before any of them could sink their fangs into me, I brought my knee up to hit Raito in the crotch, punching Ayato in the face right after. Everyone watched in surprise as I was released, jumping onto the banister and sliding all the way down, passing Kanato then Subaru, who had no interest in tormenting me. I made a break for the front door, grabbing onto the handle and pulling it open. I had made it!<p>

"Where do you think you're going?" Ayato was there on the front porch, preventing me from escape. "You punch pretty hard for a human girl. Where did all of this resistance come from?"

"I've traveled all over the world with my dad. I walk around most of the time by myself so of course I know how to fight," I said harshly.

"That hurt," Raito cried as he came walking down the hallway. "You're getting me all fired up inside. I think you should be punished for getting me so riled up."

"Stay away from me, you freak! You too!" I barked as Ayato entered the house, shutting the door behind him. He took one look at me and dragged me back in, throwing me down on the steps before the blond and the boy with the glasses.

"Shu, Reiji, what should we do with the girl?" he asked.

"Keep her, naturally," Reiji responded, calmly gazing over at me. "After all, she was given to us. There is no turning back now that she knows what we are."

"So she's the sacrificial bride?" Kanato questioned in excitement, an eerie smile on his face as he eyed me. "Great, I've been feeling a bit thirsty lately..."

"G-get away from me," I said, running to the top of the stairs. As I scanned their multitude of expressions, I realized Reiji and Shu were the only ones I could appeal to and tried to reason with them. I hoped that remaining composed and offering benefits on their side would help my case. "Please, let me go and I promise I won't tell anybody what I saw here. I don't want to trouble you by staying here."

After a long pause, Shu smiled in amusement. Reiji pushed his glasses up, his beautiful ruby eyes shining in the light. "You're not going anywhere, especially in this storm," Reiji answered.

Panicking, I refused to give up. "I've been in worse conditions. I'll call a taxi myself. I'll walk if I have to."

Thunder shook the house, a flash of lightning striking down outside the window. I watched in desolation as Reiji shook his head. "No, that wouldn't be very kind if we let a lady walk out in the rain like that."

"Well this isn't a very hospitable home in the first place," I argued, feeling slightly irritated with his unwillingness to comply.

"If you try to run, you're _dead_. Simple as that," Ayato announced as he came up the steps. "Reiji, I don't know why you couldn't just say it like this."

"Putting it like that..." he trailed off, then seeming to abandon his original train of thought, he nodded his head. "If I were you, I would stay put."

Horrified, I was powerless to do a single thing as they all eyed me hungrily. I knew that even if I begged and pleaded with them, they would devour me without even hesitating for an instant.. My survival instinct kicked in and I dashed down the hallway, my heart pulsating loudly in my ears. I ran down dark, icy-cold corridors, praying that some way, somehow, I would find an exit and get out alive. From the looks of it, I wouldn't be able to survive a single night here, much less several months. I checked my cell phone for reception only to be devastated with the error symbol that popped up onto my screen. There was nobody who could save me, was there?

"Don't run," Kanato said, spontaneously appearing by one of the windows. "I just might chase you."

"So eager to leave already and the fun hasn't even started yet," Raito scolded, licking his lips as I rounded a corner. "I'll make it so that you never want to leave."

Terror coursed through my veins as I continued, my adrenaline kicking in as I desperately searched for a place to hide or an exit. I could hear their voices and their laughter taunting me as I ran and ran and ran, finding no way to escape them. At last, I saw a door leading outside and burst through it, slamming it shut only to realize it was a balcony with no way out except the door. The fall from all the way up here was far too great for me to survive, even as tough as I was. Mortified, I stumbled back, hitting the cold, hard wall and covering myself protectively as I stared into the distance at the very gates that had originally trapped me in this place.

_ No_... There had to be some other way out. Perhaps if I climbed across the rooftop and slid down by holding onto the storm pipe, I might be able to survive. However, when I saw just how hard the rain was falling, and how much water was currently rushing down the sloped roofs, I knew that method would result in nothing but a disaster. There was nothing I could do, was there? I was imprisoned in a home with blood-sucking monsters who were out to torment me. If only I hadn't been so naive and had never come here in the first place...

"Looks like you hit a dead end," Ayato said, as he joined me on the balcony. "I told you not to run. You're bringing us all this trouble and it's only the first day. Yours Truly will forgive you once you give yourself up."

"No..." I tried to dodge, but to no avail. He seized the same wrist he had grabbed two times before, trapping me in my place. Now powerless to fight back, I begged for him to stop; only to find that he only smiled wider the more I pleaded. "_Stop_! Stop it!"

"Shut up, you noisy girl," Ayato warned, his tongue darting out and touching my neck. I screamed in pain when he sunk his pointy fangs into me, instantly getting weak to my knees.

"Ayato, having fun without me?" Raito sulked as he came over, claiming the other side of my neck and breathing hotly onto it.

"It's so rich," Ayato gasped, withdrawing to grin at me. "Your blood is sweeter and richer than anything I've ever tasted before."

Raito only seemed to get more excited by the second, embedding his fangs into my exposed skin as Ayato resumed his feasting. The strength gradually slipped from my body, my vision clouding over as I fell in and out of consciousness. Raito prevented me from falling over, his cheeks flushed as his leg pressed itself in between my thighs.

"I love the expression on your face," he murmured. "How about I take you right here, my little slut?"

Just when I thought I would be over with, I heard someone cough, interrupting their feeding frenzy.

"_Disgusting_."

Reiji appeared in the doorway, a scowl of distaste on his lips as he watched them. Raito withdrew, followed shortly by Ayato, who caught me in his arms before I could fall. Feeling utterly drained, I could only gaze up at him as he studied me, an unreadable expression dawning upon him. Ayato wiped the blood from my mouth, his brow twitching in annoyance as Reiji stood over me, staring down at me as if I were a pitiful animal. He ordered Ayato to bring me inside before walking off, cursing me for causing so much chaos.

"Reiji always interrupts just when the fun is about to begin," Raito whined as I was carried into the house, half-conscious. The last thing I remembered seeing was Kanato, asking me if I was okay, and Shu, whose sea blue eyes never left my own. Then... **_darkness_**.

* * *

><p>When I next awoke I was lying in a bed, the blankets pulled up to my chest. I was dressed in pajama clothes, my camera missing from around my neck. Who the heck thought it was okay to change me out of my clothes without my permission. I sat up, shocked to find Raito and Ayato were standing at the foot of the bed, watching me sleep. I glanced to my left and found Kanato rocking slowly on his chair and on my right stood Reiji, who was carrying a strange-looking vial.<p>

"Drink this," he ordered, handing it to me.

"What is it?"

"It stabilizes your blood and replenishes whatever vitamins or minerals you've lost," he explained. "It has an unpleasant taste but you'll feel better instantly."

Groggy and with my head throbbing painfully, I had no other option but to trust him and drank it all down in one gulp. Almost immediately after, I felt myself regaining my strength and the pain in my head slowly subsided. I thanked him and watched as he silently poured me a glass of water. Pushing my suspicions aside, I eagerly accepted it from him, drinking all of it down in three big gulps. Reiji placed the cup on the bedside table and crossed his arms over his chest.

"How do you feel?"

"Better than before," I responded and looked up at Ayato and Raito, who were both smiling at me. "_Get out_."

They both were surprised at how blunt I was, even after all that had transpired. "Huh?"

"I said get out. I'm tired..." I said, feeling drowsy. As I plopped down onto the pillow once more, I saw Reiji rub his chin thoughtfully, mumbling something about side effects that he didn't know about. I fell asleep before I could begin to even process that I was exhausted, my eyes drawing shut and easing me into a peaceful slumber.

* * *

><p>When I next awoke, the sun was shining brightly outside and I could hear the birds chirping by the window. I slipped out of bed, waddling over to the window and opening it up to gaze out at the garden below. There were rows and rows of beautiful rose bushes, the assortment of colors creating a strikingly beautiful image. I fumbled around for my camera and found it sitting on a chair, picking it up and snapping a few photographs of the garden. As I lowered my camera and turned around, yawning, I suddenly was hit with the realization that this was no time for me to be relaxing. It was daytime and a perfect opportunity for me to make an escape.<p>

As I recalled the events of the previous night, I felt myself shuddering in disbelief. As a child, I had loved the concept of vampires and wished that they were real. Only now, when I discovered they truly did exist, did I realize how foolish I had been to ever want monsters like them to be real. I had nearly died after being attacked yesterday and I was determined to make a run for it while I could. I threw on my backpack, grabbing my suitcases by the door and throwing the door open.

"_Ah_!"

I let out a scream when I saw that someone was standing right there in front of the door. When I realized it was just the butler from yesterday, I let out a sigh of relief, realizing he could be my ticket out of this insane house.

"Thank goodness, finally someone normal around here," I mumbled to myself, smiling at him. "Excuse me, sir, do you think you could arrange a driver to take me from here? I will pay whatever costs that come with it. I would call a cab myself but it seems like I don't get much signal here."

"My humblest apologies, but that will not be possible," the man answered gravely, looking as morose and pale as death itself. "I am under strict orders to make sure that you are taken care of here at the Sakamaki household."

"Really?" I asked. "Whose orders were those? I would like to speak with them."

"He is not available at this time."

"Why? When I can I speak with him personally?" I asked, already fearing the worst.

"I cannot reveal that information," he stated. "To make things simpler and easier for the both of us, please cooperate and put your belongings back in the room, Miss."

I reluctantly did as told, putting my luggage back where it originally was. The butler informed me that breakfast was currently being prepared, so I decided it was safe to stay in my room and unpack. Instead of laying out my souvenir boxes like I had originally anticipated, I put them away in the drawers, fearful that they would be stolen, or even worse, broken. The boys most likely were able to easily come in and out of my room, so I put everything valuable in a safe place. I unloaded my clothing, placing them on top of my treasure boxes to hide them from view. As I was going through my things, I uncovered a recent photograph of my dad and I and felt an aching pain in my chest.

"Dad, wherever you are, I hope you're okay," I murmured to myself, placing the picture by my bed.

I removed my laptop from its case and turned it on, glancing around the room before logging in to my account. To my disappointment, there was no internet access anywhere close by. That ruled out contacting people online to save me from this hellhole. I hid my laptop under the bed mattress and resumed my unpacking.

I finished by the time breakfast was done, and after brushing my teeth in the bathroom down the hall to my bedroom, I went downstairs, cautiously checking my surroundings every few seconds in case someone decided to attack me. I wandered into the dining room to find only two people were in there and seated at opposite ends of the table. It was only Shu and Reiji – I breathed a sighed of relief. At least the others had not decided to show up just yet.

I quietly sat down in a random seat in the middle, forcing a smile and greeting the two of them. Shu ignored my existence completely while Reiji at least acknowledged me with a brief glance. I was seated for only a minute or two before Raito entered the room, his arms folded behind his head as he smiled at me. I felt a chill run down my spine when he took the seat to my left, gazing at me and toying with my hair.

"I was beginning to think last night was just a dream, but when I woke up, I could still smell your sweet scent," he spoke. "My little slut has the nicest tasting blood ever. I've never felt so alive."

I stood up, moving away and taking the seat beside Shu, who had hardly even moved an inch since I had come into the room. Raito was now sitting across of me instead of beside me, allowing me to relax a little. His surprise quickly morphed into amusement as the butler came in to serve the food. None of the others showed up to breakfast, resulting in several empty seats and a tense, silent atmosphere the whole way through. Shu, who had originally been my stand-in shield against Raito, left halfway, his plate still with food remaining on it.

"He left without even finishing," I said.

Reiji huffed, sneering distastefully at him. "What do spoiled good-for-nothings like him know about wasting food? Don't let it go to waste – eat it."

"Um. Okay."

As I took what food Shu had left behind, Reiji stood up, irate, and left the dining room as well. Raito laughed as soon as he had gone as he took a sip of his drink.

"You would never guess that they're full blood brothers, would you?" he inquired.

"Huh? Really? They look nothing alike," I commented in disbelief.

"The six of us are all brothers, but we have different mothers," he explained. "Ayato, Kanato, and I are triplets - quite unfortunate isn't it? Shu and Reiji share the same mother. Shu is the eldest of us and Reiji is second. Well, he has always come second, even since his birth."

He laughed at his own cruel joke and I felt myself with a sick taste in my mouth as I looked at him. "Then what about Subaru?"

"Oh, him? He's the youngest one out of the six of us and he's the only one out of us without a full blood sibling. He's a bit of a loner, if you get what I'm trying to say." He finished eating and rose to his feet, heading towards the door. "See you later, Slut-chan! I'm getting back to sleep."

It never felt better to be alone in my entire life. I enjoyed my independence for a while more before taking my leave as well, taking a tour of the mansion and taking a picture of anything that spiked my interest. I stopped when I saw a familiar painting hanging on one of the walls on the second floor. I had seen a replica of it in a gallery in France two years ago. The quality and hue of the paint on this one, along with the genuine feeling that emanated from it insinuated this was most likely not a replica, but the real thing.

If such a famous painting was here, in this house, I could only imagine how much wealth and influence the Sakamaki household had. I paced around for a little longer before exiting through the front door, taking a panoramic photo of the house from close by the gate, where I had been standing the day before, completely clueless as to what kind of situation I had gotten myself into.

I turned around and walked over to the front gate, closing my hands around the steel bars and attempting to pull them open. I pulled and pulled, but to no avail. I was suddenly reminded of the warning I had received from Ayato about trying to escape and hurriedly withdrew from the gates before anyone could see me. If word got out I tried the gate, I would most likely suffer for my curiosity. So instead, I decided to wander about the property, utilizing my free time to snap pictures of everything I saw. I finally reached the rose garden I had seen from my bedroom window and entered it, taking a leisurely walk through the small haven.

Feeling at peace for the first time in a while, I let out a sigh. If only Dad were here to enjoy this beautiful view with me.

I stared up at the sky, the sun shining down brightly upon me, providing the warmth I needed. Being outside never felt any better – it was abnormally freezing inside of the house, even in spots where the sunlight reached. Taking advantage of the situation, I deemed it best to bathe now and allow my hair to dry naturally than to wait until it was late and freeze myself to death. I stole up to my bedroom, trying my best not to make a peep in fear that I would catch unwanted attention. My room had been untouched, so I fetched a fresh change of clothes, some shampoo, and a bar of soap and ran to the bathroom.

As soon as I got in, I closed and locked the door, sighing as I placed my belongings on the counter. Gazing into the mirror, I could clearly see the two pairs of bite marks on each side of my neck. Just looking at it made me want to puke. I touched a hand to one of the holes and winced in pain, instantly pulling my hand away and covering the ugly marks with my hair.

"Soon enough your body will get used to getting bitten and the skin will close up faster," a voice said, jerking me out of my thoughts.

Whipping around in bewilderment, I saw that Shu was standing by the bathtub, still fully dressed and with his earphones still in.

"Oh my god," I cried out. "You scared me nearly half to death. I didn't even see you there."

"Because I came in after you did," he answered, almost teasingly as he moved to get into the bathtub.

"What are you doing? You'll get sick if you go in wearing your clothes," I said, sighing in defeat when he ignored me and sunk inside, lying back in a state of relaxation. He didn't even bother to remove his earphones and left them on in spite of the risk of getting electrocuted if his iPod fell into the water. I noticed that his iPod was attached to a choker he wore, probably fashioned that way by him so that he could wear it even when he took a bath. He was strange, that was for certain…

"Er, if you're going to take a bath in here, I'll just go find another bathroom."

He didn't bother responding so I took my things and left, wandering around opening random doors and peeking inside. After over ten minutes of scouting, I finally stumbled across a bathroom and went inside, going in to check the bathtub to make sure nobody was in there before going back to lock the door. Ayato was leaning against the doorframe, waiting for me.

"Get out," I ordered.

"Don't order me around, human," he said, entering the bathroom and shutting the door behind me. The lock clicked shut as he began to approach me. "You know this is my bathroom, right? You have no right to be in here."

"Then I'll go and find another one," I stated simply.

"Not so fast." He blocked the exit, smirking at me as he cornered me against the bathtub, pushing me inside. He began to climb over me, his stark green eyes boring into my own. "I'm feeling thirsty."

"Feeling thirsty? Then drink some of _this_."

Switching the shower on, I turned the dial towards cold and watched as it blasted Ayato away. Laughing, I crawled out of the tub and ran for my life, grabbing my things and making a hasty escape. I could still hear him yelling by the time I got away and grinned to myself in victory. Served him right.


	4. Game

Author's Note: I'm updating so fast I think I need to take a break. xD But I'm grateful you guys actually like my writing. ;w;

* * *

><p>After I had showered, I had gone back outside to allow my hair to dry under the warmth of the sun, pacing leisurely through the garden and with hundreds of thoughts constantly moving in and out of my head. I wondered about my father and if they had found him yet. Though the chances that he was alive were slimmer than not, I refused to accept that he was dead. The police were currently investigating my home so there was a possibility they might be able to find a lead in the case. The Ochi family must feel burdened by all of this as well - they were like blood to us and losing my father was difficult for them to bear as well.<p>

How was I going to get out of this place? There was no signal anywhere and no internet for me to log on to my blog and beg for someone to rescue me. I couldn't just run, either. They would find me for certain and like Ayato had promised, kill me. I gulped. It was better to play along in their sick game for now until I figured out some sort of plan to escape. At least I had my quick thinking and my strong hands and feet to accompany it. I couldn't prevent them all from attacking me, but I had a method of combating them, even if only temporarily.

"I don't have a gun, but I do have these," I mumbled as I looked down at my two fists. "I'll break their faces before they break me."

I looked down at the key around my neck. I still had not even used it yet and did not even know what it was even for. It had come to me through the mail, just like that blasted letter that brought me to this hell house in the first place. The butler had mentioned something about orders from a man to keep me here and make sure I was taken well care of. Just who the hell was this guy and what business did I have to be living here with these vampires? Surely I wasn't a sacrifice, was I?

Speaking of sacrifice, I recalled what Kanato had mentioned the night before - a sacrificial bride. Just the title made my hair stand on end. I was no sacrifice, and I sure as hell was not going to end up as a vampire's bride. I decided to confront Reiji with my questions whenever I saw him, glancing up at the house and catching movement in one of the windows. Someone was watching me from inside, making sure I wasn't trying to get away.

"Coward, why don't you stop hiding in that god-damned house and come out?" I yelled, knowing they wouldn't be able to hear me anyway. I detected movement from the corner of my eye and saw Ayato had come after me after I had pulled that little stunt of mine.

"Are you surprised I came out here?" he inquired, appearing disgruntled. "Vampires aren't really weak to sunlight, garlic, or crosses you know. Humans just made that up because they were too afraid to admit there wasn't anything they could do to us."

When I ignored his comment, his brow twitched in annoyance. He approached me, grabbing me forcefully by the shoulder. "Stupid girl, I still haven't forgotten about your little prank of yours. I didn't find it funny at all."

"Well, I did," I declared, shocking even him with how straightforward I was being. "I'm sorry but I'm not your chew toy and I'm not here to play victim to your dumb game. Get the hell away from me."

"What?"

I brushed him off and stalked off, only to find that Kanato was standing not too far away, watching us while clutching his stuffed bear close to his chest. I masked my fear with indifference and moved past him, heading to the front of the house where I encountered Shu. He was lying down on the side of the fountain, his arms tucked comfortably behind his head as he slept soundly. I held up my camera, wanting to take a picture of the sleeping prince, but before I could, he sat up, staring at me with his mysterious eyes.

"You're strange," he remarked as I lowered my camera.

"I think... I'm actually pretty normal, compared to the rest of you," I said.

He let out a chuckle, rubbing the back of his head tiredly as he stood. "You should be more watchful of what you say," he advised, though there was no hint of anger in his voice at all. I dare even say he was amused with my comment. He smirked lightly at me and left, returning to the house. "If I were you, I would sleep earlier from now on. We attend class at nighttime."

* * *

><p><p>

Dinnertime came before I even realized it and I was the last to reach the dining room, walking in after Subaru, who shot me an angry glare as he sat beside Reiji. I decided not to take the empty seat beside him and instead settled for the corner seat across from Shu and next to Ayato, who had his leg crossed and an arm resting atop his chair. I avoided meeting his eyes and scooted my chair as far from him as I could, hoping he couldn't sense how scared I actually was of him and everyone else underneath my passive expression.

I held my fork tentatively in my hands, uneasily glancing back and forth as the uncomfortable silence continued on. Reiji, who was all the way on the opposite side of the table, had his arms crossed over his chest, wearing a severe expression hardly suited for a family gathering. Next to him, Subaru had his elbow propped onto the table, resting his chin on his hand as he looked around impatiently. Shu had his eyes closed, listening calmly to his iPod and disregarding everybody else's presences. Ayato kept sneaking glimpses at me, as if he were trying to read my expression. Raito leaned back in his chair to look at me, a teasing glint in his eyes. Kanato was mumbling to himself across from Reiji, his eyes wide and frightening.

"Stop looking at me," I mumbled when the servants brought out the food.

"I can do what I want," Ayato retorted, a smirk crawling across his face. "What, am I making you nervous?"

"She's nervous alright," Raito sang. "I can almost hear her heart racing."

"I..." I was cut off when Reiji cleared his throat, facing me.

"I should thank you for this morning," he said. "If you hadn't finished off someone's food than it would have gone to waste."

"Uh... you're welcome."

He practically ordered me to do so and besides, he didn't even appear to be grateful in the slightest. It didn't take a genius to figure out he was just taking advantage of me to take a jab at his brother, Shu, who acted as if he hadn't heard a thing. Imbued with irritation at being ignored, he became even more personal with his insults.

"How impolite can someone be to have their earphones in even at dinner," he scoffed. "He acts like he's better than the rest of us."

Shu opened his eyes then, glancing over at Reiji, but he still said nothing. Feeling uncomfortable with the tense atmosphere, I tried to eat as quickly as I could without making it noticeable, avoiding eye contact with everyone there. I picked up my knife to slice the meat, taking great care not to accidentally cut myself. I was clumsy when it came to knives and always managed to accidentally cut myself with them. Using cautious hands and a pedantic mindset, I managed to cut the steak without difficulty and breathed a sigh of relief.

When dinner finally came to an end, I basically ran out of the dining hall, hoping nobody would think to follow me up to my room. I had only reached the staircase when Raito caught up to me, placing a hand on my back and smiling seductively.

"I heard what you did to Ayato in the bathroom," he told with a chuckle. "You're a naughty, naughty girl aren't you?"

"I'm not afraid of you," I stated. I was actually trembling, but I refused to let him bully me like he was.

"Really? I can hear how fast your heart is beating." He pressed his ear against my chest, affirming his claims. I shoved him away, marching up the steps in an attempt to flee. When he started to follow me, I spun around, pointing the knife I had taken from dinner at him. He was surprised and stopped in his tracks as I threatened him to back off or I would stab him.

To my relief, he grinned, holding his hands up in defeat. "You're a dangerous one, aren't you? I love the thrill of the chase." He retreated back down the steps, though I knew it was only a matter of time before it wouldn't work anymore. Trembling, I hurried back to my room, immediately bolting the door and rushing over to where I hid my video camera. I made sure nobody was in the room and began recording myself.

"I'm Fujimoto Sayumi. It's the end of my second day at my new house," I whispered. "Someone, anyone, please, get me out of here before it's too late. _Please_..."

I abruptly ended the video when I heard someone knock on my door. Hiding my camcorder underneath my clothes, I grabbed the knife and went to open the door. Reiji stared down at me as I hid the knife behind my back.

"Who were you mumbling to just now?" he demanded.

"Myself," I answered.

He eyed me testily for a moment before welcoming himself into my room, closing the door behind him as he looked around. I stood by the door, clutching the knife tightly behind me as I waited for him to be satisfied with what he saw and leave. However, he remained where he stood, glancing over at me.

"At least the room is kept clean. You're not completely useless like the rest of them before you were," he mused.

My eyes widened in horror. "...There were others before me?"

"At least a dozen," he answered nonchalantly. "They all ended up dying pathetically, though. I wonder if you'll be different."

I felt a bead of nervous sweat collect on my forehead as I digested his words. Swallowing the lump in my throat, I decided it was best to confront him now with the questions I had. He didn't appear to be as malicious as Raito, Kanato or Ayato were, though he was hardly even close to what I could label as friendly. I was sure he wouldn't hesitate to kill me if he needed to.

"Um, I have a few questions I've been wanting to ask you," I began. "Do you know who sent me here and why? And what was that term that Kanato mentioned yesterday - a sacrificial bride?"

"You're not stupid like the others were," he commented and took a seat on the edge of my bed. He instructed me to sit, so I did as told, though keeping a safe distance from him. "You were given up to us by whoever your guardian previously was. I don't know if it was your mother, your father, your aunt, or your uncle, but someone handed you over to us. A sacrificial bride is just what it sounds like. While you're here under this roof, you belong to us. You have no rights or freedom to say or do as you please. If you try to run, we'll kill you, it's as simple as that."

"So you're saying my dad sacrificed me to you? You're kidding, right? My dad is missing, he couldn't even do that even if he wanted to," I argued. Reiji merely smiled, pushing his glasses up at he looked me in the eyes.

"Is your father really missing? I think that's the question you should be asking yourself," he said. "Someone had to give you up."

"_No_..." I trailed off, refusing to believe him. "He's been gone for a month already! One of his associates has been contacting me with any updates on my dad's case ever since he went missing. It's impossible..."

"Impossible? I think you have been played for a fool," Reiji answered with a dark smile. "Did you ever stop and wonder why no actual authorities ever contacted you?"

"That's a lie. The CEO of my dad's company told me I had to leave the house for police investigations."

"Stupid girl, did you not even consider the possibility this had all been planned out from the beginning?" he inquired. "Your dad isn't missing. He likely forged those documents and hired someone to lie to you this entire time. There is no other explanation for you being here, is there? And you were a fool enough to walk right up to our front door."

"Stop saying these kinds of things," I cried out shrilly. "You're lying. My dad would never do anything like that to me."

"That's what they all say," Reiji spoke harshly. "They all say the same thing, but at the end of the day, they realize how worthless and unloved they are and finally accept reality. You will eventually do the same, won't you? You act tough, but I can see how much you're trembling right now. I pity you, human girl."

He moved to touch my face, but I hurriedly swatted his hand away and procured the knife, pointing it right at him. "You get any closer and I'll-"

"You'll do what? Stab me?" he inquired, smiling. "That won't kill me."

"I-I know that it won't, but vampires aren't immune to pain, are they?" I replied, trying to steady my faltering voice. He noticed my shaking hand and laughed, seizing me by the wrist and squeezing it tightly. Crying out from the intense pain, I was forced to drop the knife, feeling hot tears rush to my eyes as his nails dug into my skin. "Stop it! Let go of me!"

I moved to pry his hand off, only to get myself pinned down on the mattress, his nails succeeding in puncturing the skin on my wrist. He watched as the blood began to roll down my forearm, a twisted grin on his face as he licked it all off in one sweep, his eyes widening as he stopped to stare at me.

"The taste of your blood…" he mumbled, seeming to be dazed. "It's… how do I say it?"

Seizing this opening, I managed to wriggle myself free and darted out the door, almost instantly crashing into Kanato, who had come as soon as he had gotten a whiff of my blood. I covered my bleeding wrist with my hand, screaming fearfully as he came towards me with bloodthirsty, glowing red eyes. I stumbled over my own feet as I made a mad escape down the dark passages, Kanato's maniacal laughter echoing down the halls as I ran.

"Don't run, Sayumi-chan," he sang. "Don't you see? You can't escape. Now let me have a taste or your blood …"

I turned to see his shadow on the wall beside me and panicked, ducking into the nearest room and slamming the door shut behind me. Holding my breath, I pressed my back against the door, the sound of his approaching footsteps enough to petrify me. I shuddered as he stopped right outside the door, holding in the scream that threatened to burst out from my throat. What would I do if he found me? Could I really fight back? Surely, the others would be roaming around as well, drawn in by the scent of my fear and of blood.

Kanato was right – there really was no escape.

I was going to die in this house.

…His footsteps continued down the hallway, eventually completely disappearing. I allowed myself to breathe a sigh of relief, my shoulders dropping as I thanked God for saving me.

"The only reason why he let you go was because you walked into my room," a familiar voice spoke. It was too dark for me to see anything but the two glowing red orbs in front of me, but I could recognize that voice anywhere. I didn't know whether to be afraid or to be relieved and stayed put, clutching my throbbing wrist tightly in my hand.

Shu approached me, his prince-like features gradually becoming clearer as he drew close, gingerly lifting my wrist up from where I was hiding it. I felt myself tense up, believing he was going to bite me, but instead he stared at me, almost inquisitively. His eyes returned to their normal shade as he pulled me up onto my feet.

"You must have angered Reiji a lot," he commented. "…Serves him right."

For a moment I was lost in his enticing, deep blue eyes, losing the will to run as I spoke. "Why does he hate you so much, Shu?"

"Don't get ahead of yourself just because I didn't bite you," he huffed, releasing my wrist and turning his back towards me. "You humans are all alike. You can't defend yourselves at all. How pitiful."

He retreated to his couch, where he lied down, laying his head down on the armrest. I didn't leave the safety of his room, sitting down in the corner by the door, clutching my knees to my chest as I tried to calm myself down. I didn't want to risk leaving and being attacked by anyone else who was still stalking around, looking for me, so for now, I would stay here. It just felt… safe.

Shu paid me no heed, allowing me some peace of mind. He was different from the others. In spite of being a vampire just like his brothers were, something about him drew me towards him. Perhaps it was those beautiful eyes of his. Deep and blue, just like the ocean. Though he did not speak much nor was he friendly, I found his presence to be the most relieving out of the six. I stayed there in the quiet seclusion of his room for a long time before finally mustering the courage to leave. I rose from where I sat, thanking him and opening the door.

Surprisingly enough, I made it all the way back to my room. "Thank goodness," I breathed, locking the door and fishing out my video camera. I sat it down on the table and turned it on, resolving to document my stay here in hell. "Hey, it's me again. I had to stop recording earlier because Reiji showed up, but… I'm okay now…"


	5. Frozen

Author's Note: I just love reading your comments, they make me so inspired to update this as frequently as I am (which is every day). I hope you guys are prepared for an intense chapter! ;u;

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><p>The next day I tried to keep to myself as much as possible, hiding in my room and only leaving when I had to. I was thankfully the only one at breakfast and so after walking around the garden to dry my hair I went back up to my room, stumbling into Raito, who made stupid comments but did not dare to approach me. I took a nap after eating lunch with Kanato, who mostly spoke to himself and Teddy and did not mention the previous night. I was woken up late in the evening by an angry Ayato, who had welcomed himself into my room and yanked me out of bed. After rudely disturbing my sleep, he shoved a uniform at me and demanded me to change or he would do it himself.<p>

He proceeded to drag me downstairs where a sleek, black limousine was waiting for us. I got in and was uncomfortably wedged between him and Raito, who kept touching my thigh the whole ride to the school I would be attending with them. Reiji kept on glancing over at me, then at Shu, as if he knew I had taken refuge in his room the previous night. I looked down at the bandage around my wrist and fearfully recalled how he had gripped me so tightly until I bled out, without even a hint of sympathy in his red eyes.

"You're a third year, right?" Ayato inquired, his arm lazing about on the back of my seat as he crossed one leg on top of the other.

"Yeah."

"Really? So you're older than all of us except for Reiji and Shu," Raito observed. "I always liked a more mature woman."

"That means you'll be following them two to your first class," Ayato said.

I didn't say anything back to either of them and kept my eyes glued on the floor of the limousine. We eventually reached our destination, pulling up in front of a ridiculously extravagant school building, two times larger and dozens of times nicer than my old school. As I stood there in disbelief, Raito placed a hand on my shoulder, smiling at me.

"When you get bored of Reiji and Shu, don't hesitate to come search for me," he spoke and entered the building with Ayato and Kanato. I noticed Subaru falling behind and decided to speak to him for the first time.

"Subaru, what year are you in?" I inquired.

"First. Not like it's any of your business," he replied harshly. I was surprised he was younger than I was but held my tongue, fearful that carelessly making comments would land me in a bad situation. I didn't want to provoke him in any way, seeing how bad his temper was from day one. I backed off, watching as he stalked in through the front doors, leaving me alone with the two eldest sons.

"What class do we have first?" I asked tentatively. I hoped I could find a way to slip away unnoticed, seeing as I had an opportunity right now to do so.

"You'll find out when we get there," Reiji responded. "And don't even think of trying to run away. I can see it in your eyes that you're planning to sneak off unnoticed."

I glared at the back of his head, reluctantly following after him and Shu into the school. We ended up in an art class, where I was placed beside Shu in the back. As the school day wore on and I moved from class to class, I asked to go to the bathroom. Reiji monitored me, standing outside the girl's restrooms as I locked myself in one of the stalls, taking out my cellphone. My heart nearly leapt out of my chest when I saw that I had a single bar of connection where I stood.

I didn't want to risk calling anyone so instead I resorted to texting, pulling up Daichi's number and sending him a single, concise word - 'help'. I hid my cellphone in my clothing and used my foot to flush the toilet, hoping to avoid any suspicion. Reiji did not suspect a thing and I anxiously tailed after him to the next class, praying Daichi would receive my plea for help.

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><p>When school ended I joined the others at the entrance of the building. They all ignored one another like usual and didn't speak at all, much to my relief. I enjoyed the peace, feeling a sense of dread when the limo came to take us back to that wretched house. This time I was next to the door and to Subaru, who did his best to hog up most of the space, giving me the luxury of having one of my legs hanging off the seat. I was annoyed and uncomfortable the entire, painfully long ride back, but I kept my mouth shut and did not dare to complain.<p>

As soon as we got home, I went up to my room and checked my phone for any messages. Daichi had received my message and had replied with a question mark. He probably had assumed I was just being weird and failed to realize that my text to him had been out of genuine concern for my own wellbeing. I had no signal in here so it was impossible for me to reply to him until tomorrow at school. I snapped my phone shut just as Reiji entered my room, seeing as I had forgotten to lock the door in my rush to check for a reply.

"R-Reiji," I spoke in shock as he narrowed his eyes at me, snatching my phone from my hand and walking over to the window. I chased after him, attempting to pry it from his hands from behind, only to witness as he angrily tossed it out, a sharp crack following its impact on the ground two stories down.

"My dad bought me that phone for my eighteenth birthday!" I snapped in exasperation. "You didn't have to throw it out the window!"

He turned, giving me a hostile stare. "You were trying to call for help, weren't you?"

"No, I wasn't," I stammered, though it was useless to try to lie.

"I can see right through your lie," he stated, removing his glasses as he cornered me. "You deserve to be punished. Contacting outsiders for help is just like trying to run away."

He pushed me against the wall, pinning my arms down at my sides as he gazed intensely into my eyes. I found myself unable to look away from him. Something about Reiji's cruel, red eyes fascinated me. I might have been seeing things when I saw a deep sadness in his eyes, but something about his eyes sparked my curiosity. I didn't even notice he had slid my shirt down until a sharp yet brief pain brought my attention to my shoulder. Reiji had bitten me and I did not have the will to fight him back. When he realized I wasn't struggling, he loosened his grasp on my hands, wrapping his arms around me as he sucked on my blood.

When he had finished, he pulled away, wiping the blood from his mouth. "It's so rich," he mumbled. "Your blood is addicting."

Then, just as quickly as he had shown up, he left, closing the door behind him.

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><p>The next two and a half weeks followed the same pattern - I would wake up at a little past noon and have brunch, most of the time by myself or with one or two of the brothers. I would shower and go outside to get some sun, occasionally bumping into Subaru, who acted like he hated my existence, or Ayato, who was constantly keeping an eye on me, though he was smart enough not to try and attack me again. I carried the knife around all the time, mostly using it against Raito, who had not gotten too close to me.<p>

After strolling around I would sit in the living room and do homework or go back to my room to get more sleep. I never dared to sleep anywhere but my room, in fear that I would be attacked. Ever since that night, Reiji had been ignoring me, not that I minded. He frightened me in more ways than none, having revealed his cruel, violent ways to me more than once, yet he hadn't gotten within several feet of me since. I wasn't complaining - because I was so careful and always prepared for the worst, I seemed to be getting along just fine. At least, for now.

Reiji had destroyed what hope I had for contacting someone for help when he tossed my phone out the window. During one of my walks I found it behind some bushes, lying in hundreds of pieces and far beyond repair. There were no phones in the house for me to use and the one at school was impossible to reach because someone was always keeping an eye on my every movement. I couldn't call for help even if I wanted to.

Though I had lost some of my hope, I didn't stop recording a message once every day, hoping that as soon as I got out of the house, I could make a documentary about how I had managed to survive living in a house full of vampires. I just wanted something to hold onto, some kind of record of my life here. I often wondered how my followers were reacting to my unannounced blogging hiatus. Did they think it was strange that I had been gone for so long without even a single update? Or were they like Daichi and assumed everything was how it was supposed to be?

I wondered if Dad had been found yet. Surely he hadn't, because if he had, he would've come to take my back home, wouldn't he? I refused to believe Reiji's explanation of my dad's disappearance, knowing he would never do something as heartless and dangerous as faking his own kidnapping and sending me off to a place I would surely be killed in.

There had to be another explanation and I was keen on finding it out, though I did not know where or how to start. I could only sit and patiently wait for something to come to me.

One Saturday night, I left the safety of my room to sit outside and stargaze, bringing out the small, retractable telescope I had bought in France and setting it up by the fountain where I could sit and get a glimpse of the stars. The sky was much clearer out here, away from the pollution and lights of the main city. There wasn't a thing to obstruct my view, save for a transient cloud or two. Besides that, the view was breathtaking and spectacular and I couldn't help but be in awe.

I was outside, accompanied only by the sound of chirping crickets and the gentle rustling of the trees until Kanato showed up, walking over with his bear, Teddy, in his arms. "Sayumi-chan, what are you doing?"

He was the only one who called me by my name. Everyone else addressed me as 'human', 'girl', 'you', or in Raito's case, offensive terms that I preferred not to think about or associate myself with. Kanato terrified me more than Ayato or anyone else did, having nearly killed me twice, but he was the only one who acknowledged me by my name and I was grateful to him for that, but that only.

"I'm taking a closer look at my stars through my telescope," I explained, touching the pocket that had held the knife. "Would you like to take a look?"

"Can Teddy take one, too?" he inquired.

I nodded, too afraid of what would happen if I said no, and moved aside so he could see for himself.

"Kanato, have you never used a telescope before?"

"This is me and Teddy's first time using one," he answered as he took another look into it.

"Oh, really? You didn't stargaze with your mother or father when you were younger?" I asked. "When I lived in America with my mom as a child, she'd hike up the mountain with me to look up at the stars away from the city. From the city you'd only be able to see a dozen or maybe even less, but out in the mountains you can see thousands of them, like you can from here. It's beautiful."

I suddenly realized Kanato had stopped moving, his face darkening as he clutched onto Teddy.

"Kanato?"

"My mother died a long time ago," he stated.

"I'm sorry, I didn't know."

"...I killed her. We killed her, but she's all mine now."

Mortified, I stared over at him, covering my mouth to hold in the gasp threatening to burst out. He smiled at me, his wide eyes boring into my own as he chuckled. I slowly backed away from him, the peaceful moment we had shared abruptly cutting short as he approached me with murderous intent. When he noticed how I was slowly recreating, something inside him snapped and he became enraged. He knocked my telescope furiously onto the ground, hardly even caring how loudly it had cracked on the pavement.

"Do you think you're better than me because your mother loved you?" he yelled. "You're worthless. You will never understand what it's like to be unloved!"

He shoved me onto the ground, staring down at me with hateful, violent eyes. He picked up my broken telescope and used it as a club, swinging the sharp end at me in his rage.

"I'll make you suffer, Sayumi-chan," he promised, a maniacal laughter escaping his throat as he closed in on me. "You'll being to me soon enough, too."

I dodged just in time, crawling up onto my feet as he came towards me, resolving to hit me this time. Wrapped up in my fear, I took off running in a random direction, too scared to look back. I looked and for somewhere, anywhere I could hide. There was no way I could run into the house without having to pass by him so I had no choice but to resort to running into the nearest building, throwing open the doors and rushing inside. The relief that came over me was short-lived, however, when I realized I had stumbled across something far beyond my worst nightmares – dozens of figurines of ghostly white, soulless brides lined the walls of the gallery, their empty eyes staring eternally out of their glass cases.

"I wanted to show this place to you myself," Kanato spoke, appearing in front of me with the shattered telescope in his hand, "but it seems you found it before I could. What do you think, Sayumi-chan? Aren't they beautiful?"

"What the hell…" I cried out in horror. "These aren't… these aren't real, are they?"

He ignored my question, coming towards me while dragging his weapon on the ground, the sound of its screeching increasing in volume as he got closer. "I'll turn you into one of them, too, Sayumi-chan. I'll be honest with you – I think you will make the prettiest one out of all of them. You have such lovely, golden eyes. It would be a shame if I didn't preserve them with your body, would it not?"

"Please don't be afraid," Kanato smiled, seeing how I was trembling. "I will make it so that it doesn't hurt for very long. I'll even design a special case just for you."

"You're insane. Step back or else," I replied, taking out the steak knife I always had with me.

He laughed aloud, unfazed. "Sayumi-chan, do you really think that something so small will work? I'm sorry, but please don't be ridiculous."

"Shut up! Don't underestimate me!" I shot back, unwilling to back down. "I'm bigger than you are."

"Did you forget that you're only human?" he inquired, tilting his head in a twisted, endearing way. "I haven't had this much fun in a long time. Teddy, you're having fun too, aren't you? Sayumi-chan is just too great, isn't she?"

I tried to grab the telescope from him, only to find that his grip was immensely strong. He had far more strength than I had anticipated, resulting in a grapple over possession of the weapon. I knew I couldn't let go of it or it would be the end of me, so I held onto it with both of my hands, attempting to wrench it from his grasp. He resisted me, struggling to throw me off while screaming at me in fury. I miraculously managed to wrestle it free, falling back in recoil as it flew from my hands, rolling down the hall towards the door. Kanato gave up on using the telescope and instead, picked up the knife that had fallen onto the floor during our fight, crawling over me and raising it up to stab me.

"You're worthless!" he shouted, his eyes wide and murderous. "I'll slice you up into little pretty pieces!"

_ Oh no...! He's gonna kill me!_

Raising my arms to shield myself, I was in for a surprise when I felt Kanato's weight being lifted off of me, Subaru's face coming into view. My heart racing wildly in my chest, I scrambled onto my feet as he picked Kanato up, telling him the servants had prepared dessert. Upon hearing the news, he immediately dropped the knife, a smile lighting up his previously deadly face as he ran out towards the house, clutching Teddy tightly in his arms. I fearfully placed a hand on my chest, still feeling the adrenaline rush from my battle with death. I had nearly slipped off a thousand-foot canyon while rock-climbing in America, nearly washed away by crazy river rapids in Egypt, was stranded in the middle of the rainforest in Borneo for a week, and had gotten chased by an angry swarm of bees in Africa, but nothing could compare to the terror I felt just now.

"It looks like this can't be used anymore," Subaru said, kicking the broken telescope out the door. "Get over here."

When I didn't move, he came over to me, taking my arm and dragging me out. Subaru picked up the knife, throwing it into the brush as we exited the gallery. On the way back to the house, I attempted to calm my stiff, trembling body, taking deep breaths and trying to forget what happened. I could still see Kanato's crazy, dangerous eyes in my face and hear his hateful screaming echoing throughout my head. I would really have been diced into pieces had it not been for Subaru showing up in the nick of time.

"Thank you for saving me, Subaru," I said as we passed the fountain.

He looked at me suspiciously for a moment before sighing. "If you keep up your resistance act like you are now, you're just going to wind up like the rest of those girls before you," he told me. "That act only works for so long. Soon enough, they'll just get angry with your fighting and kill you. You've survived this far by fighting back, but it won't protect your forever. If you push any of them too far, they'll snap, like Kanato just did."

"What else can I do?" I demanded. "I'm not going to sit around and let this happen to me. I can't let them walk all over me and not even do a thing about it."

"If you want to live, you're going to need more than a just brittle steak knife and your brains alone," he advised. "You need something that can actually kill vampires."

He stopped before we entered the house and his troubled red eyes seemed to soften slightly as he gazed down at me. "You're different than those girls before. You give them a harder time than they want to admit."

"You're different, too, from your brothers," I confessed. "Why are you helping me, Subaru?"

"I'm not," he claimed, though he clearly was showing me a hint of kindness. "Just follow my advice. Don't do anything stupid unless you want to die."

He was about to leave when I called out to him. "_Wait_!"

"What do you want?"

I genuinely smiled at him. "Thank you, Subaru."


	6. Sweet

Author's Note: To be honest, I get the creeps just writing some of these scenes, especially the one where Kanato tries to kill Sayumi haha. I'm trying to stay within their characters as much as I possibly can, but seeing as I haven't played the game yet, I may be a little bit off, but hopefully I'm as accurate as I think I am! And to that comment about me becoming a professional writer - really? I think my writing is pretty basic but thank you so much for saying something so sweet! It makes me really happy. (:

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><p>I couldn't sleep at all that night, haunted by the stark, ghost white faces and empty black eyes of those dead brides in the gallery. Those girls must have been as helpless and terrified as I was, especially in their last moments. Feeling overwhelmed by sadness and fear, I thought back to Subaru's warning. He was right - if I had continued to behave recklessly and kept provoking them like I had been the last few weeks, I would wind up dead and trapped here for eternity as one of Kanato's sick dolls. I rolled around in bed, tormented by the girls' soulless glass eyeballs until the sun rose up in the sky, shining brightly into my window.<p>

Deciding to get up, I grabbed my camera and raced towards the balcony I had stood on my first night here, holding the camera up and snapping a series of photographs of the beautiful sunrise. I had been so preoccupied with capturing the moment that I didn't even notice Shu had been sitting there on the railing the entire time. With his earbuds in and his eyes closed, he looked more relaxed and more peaceful than I had ever seen him in the month that I had been there. The bright, warm glow of the rising sun highlighted his princely features, the soft spring breeze caressing his gorgeous blond locks of hair.

_Wow... He's beautiful..._

I couldn't help but take a picture of him as well, watching as he opened an eye to look over at me. Caught in the act, I felt myself getting embarrassed as he turned his body to face me, crossing his arms calmly over his chest.

"Good morning," I greeted, though I knew he would just ignore me.

To my surprise, he greeted me back for the first time ever. "Morning." He noticed my stunned expression and changed the subject. "You're up rather early."

"I couldn't sleep," I said. "Do you always come out to watch the sunrise?"

"Maybe."

I couldn't help but smile, leaning against the railing and watching as a flock of birds fluttered across the sky, revitalized by the return of the sun.

Seeing me smile so widely, he decided to question me about it. "What's so amusing?"

"I just didn't think vampires would do something so human like watching the sunrise," I admit.

He gave me an inquisitive glance before smiling slightly as well. "I guess you're right."

After enjoying the view silently with one another, Shu retreated back into the house, leaving me alone. Feeling like I learned something new about him, I smiled down at the breathtaking shot I had captured of him on my camera.

I decided to give the servants a hand at preparing breakfast, seeing as it was the appointed 'monthly family gathering'. I put on an apron and assisted as much as I could in the kitchen, finding myself surprised when everyone actually showed up to eat. After serving the food I returned to the kitchen to take off my apron and wash my hands before going to my seat.

"Final exams are this week," Reiji announced. "I hope you are all ready. I know _someone_ is going to be repeating another year."

Shu looked at him in annoyance but was wise enough to hold his tongue.

"Thank you for the food, my sweet little vixen," Raito sang, smiling at me.

"Yes. Thank you for the meal, Sayumi-chan," Kanato said, surprisingly cheerful in spite of his violent episode yesterday. "I love blueberry pancakes with syrup."

"You're awfully nice today," Ayato commented as he ate his food. "What's with you?"

I forced a smile, looking down quietly as Subaru glanced over at me. For now, I was going to follow his advice and be more careful about what I said and did around them. After being nearly killed the previous night, I wasn't going to hesitate to lay low for the time being. In order to survive, I would have to do my best to get on their good sides – that would be hard for me, considering I found it hard to even stand their presences, but I had to do it. There were no other options for me to choose from.

After breakfast ended, I went up to clean my room, digging through my drawers and uncovering my treasure boxes. I placed one of them on my lap, opening the lid and peering inside at the vast collection of things I had inside. It was a shame I couldn't display them in the room or around the house for the others to view. I frankly did not trust any of them with even looking at it. These things were too precious to me, representing all of the journeys I had gone on with my dad all over the world. They all held some sort of special memory to me – there was no way I was going to let them get smashed like my telescope had been.

I looked through one of the boxes before moving to the next one, gasping out in surprise when I saw a sheathed dagger sitting beneath my beaded necklaces and charms. Picking it up, I realize the label had gotten separated from it and rummaged through the box in search of it. While touring Transylvania, my father and our tour group had stumbled across an elderly woman who was selling all sorts of interesting trinkets – my father and everyone else were attracted immediately to the unique jewelry and accessories while I had found myself drawn towards the other side of her cart. There, I had gotten my hands on this silver dagger and learned the back story behind it – apparently, this was no ordinary dagger, and had been fashioned in the ancient times for the sole purpose of killing vampires. The old woman had told me that if I ever was unfortunate enough to find myself in an untimely situation with a vampire, all I had to do was drive the blade into his heart and he would die.

The existence of vampires to me back then was solely in mythology and mass media. Who would have known that just four years later, I would need something like this? I had originally bought it solely because I was fascinated by it, but now? I think it might come in handy; if what the woman had told me was true, then if necessary, all I needed to do was drive this thing into one of their chests and it would be over with. The thought of killing someone, even a vampire, terrified me – I couldn't even kill a fly, much less a person. However, it was a matter of kill or be killed. Subaru had even warned me despite knowing that telling me something like that was potentially disadvantageous towards him.

Walking into the living room, I was surprised to found Ayato lounging around with nothing to do. I sat down on the couch a safe distance away, looking over at him curiously. "You're not going to study for your finals?"

"No, why would I?" he retorted as he sat up, scratching the back of his head in irritation. "Don't you have something better to do then bother me? Or is this some kind of invitation?"

"It is nothing of the sort," I replied, using less force in my voice than I usually would. He smirked, leaning close to me.

"Are you sure?" he teased, pushing my back against the couch and towering over me. Before he could do anything, he was pried off by Reiji, who demanded that I follow him to his study. Ayato glared at him, upset he had interrupted him before he could have his way. On the other hand I was relieved someone had come at the right time to stop it for me since I was trying to avoid acting out on my own. I willingly followed after Reiji, waving goodbye to Ayato mockingly as we went up the stairs.

Reiji's study was full of unusual things. He had several bookshelves, a couple of chairs, and a table with strange chemicals and beakers sitting on top of it. I stopped to admire his tableware collection when I realized he was glowering at me, instructing me to sit. I quietly did so, folding my hands on my lap as he made himself a hot cup of tea.

After some time had passed, I had begun to grow curious as to what I was doing there. He was drinking his tea and messing with his chemicals in the corner, leaving me sitting there wondering why he had even brought me here in the first place if he wasn't going to talk to me. However, I kept my mouth shut, glancing over at his wide array of books to pass the time.

Reiji practically forgot I had existed for a good ten minutes before he finally put down his cup and sat down across from me. "As I had stated earlier, final exams are next week," he began. "You transferred late, so I highly doubt you're prepared enough for the tests you'll be taking. I'm considering requesting for an exam based off of only what you've learned the last month."

"Thank you. I'd like that," I said.

"I'm not doing this for you," he retorted coldly. "I'm making sure you don't make us look bad by bringing down our scores like that good-for-nothing deadbeat."

I knew I was treading upon dangerous grounds when I opened my mouth, but I couldn't help myself. I had been left in the dark for a month and knew absolutely nothing about the six brothers and why they disliked one another so much. Out of all of them, the relationship between Shu and Reiji was particularly strained, if not the worst. Reiji acted like he hated Shu's guts and would make snide remarks about him whenever he got an opportunity, berating him and labeling as a spoiled, useless deadbeat with no manners or worth. On the other hand, Shu never spoke up to defend himself against his younger brother's insults and was always mature and strikingly level-headed about it.

"Reiji, why do you hate Shu so much?" I asked.

"Because he's worthless. While I'm always busy trying to make up for the things he isn't competent to do on his own, he just lays around and sleeps all day like the useless bastard he is," Reiji retorted, his eyebrow twitching as he crossed his arms over his chest. "I'm the one who is burdened with all the responsibilities around here. He does nothing, and is therefore irrelevant in my eyes."

"But..." I trailed off as his eyes flickered over at me expectantly. I wanted to defend Shu and expose Reiji's belligerence but I knew that doing so would land me in a bad situation. In my opinion, Reiji was just bitter over nothing - his hate for Shu was unfounded and ridiculous. Aside from Subaru, Shu was the only one in this house who had showed me even a hint of kindness, as small as it was. Everyone else treated me as if I were disposable or something they could toy with.

Though I did not voice my sentiments, I knew for a fact Reiji had figured me out already by his furrowed brows and clenched fist. "Don't tell me you fell for his kind act, too. You foolish girl, don't get ahead of yourself into believing he actually cares about you," he scoffed. "It's all a part of his stupid trick. It's been like this since we were young. He tries to deceive everyone into believing he's some kind of saint and it always works."

He rose from his seat, staring me down. "I'm going to do whatever it takes to make him suffer," he vowed dangerously. "I'll teach him what it feels like to be neglected and unloved."

"...Do you love him?" he asked.

"No, of course not," I answered.

"That's a lie. What's so great about him?" he demanded.

"He has a good heart," I bravely argued. I mentally apologized to Subaru for going against his advice and fighting back against Reiji. "Unlike you, Shu actually has kindness inside of him. You're just bitter and full of yourself. It's not surprising people like him more than they like you."

Taken aback beyond belief by my blunt words, it took a while for his anger to settle in, but when it did, it was deadly. He yanked me out of the chair by my shirt collar, throwing me onto the ground mercilessly. Refusing to allow his violence to frighten me into submission, I looked up at him fearlessly, feeling nothing but pity for him. Even when he climbed on top of me, sinking his fangs into my neck, I didn't even flinch, allowing him to do as he pleased.

He pulled away before he had more than a sip, gazing deeply into my eyes as if he could taste my pity for him in my blood. For an instant, I saw pain in his red eyes as he released me, backing away from me as if I had some kind of disease. I left him in his study and on my way downstairs, I bumped into Subaru, who had been sitting on the windowsill and gazing longingly outside at the rose garden.

"Subaru," I called out, to his surprise. "Can we talk?"

He was annoyed that I had disturbed him, but he stood up anyway and the two of us ventured out into the garden. After making sure nobody else was around, I took out the dagger that I kept hidden in my clothes, holding it out to him. It was obvious how surprised he was but nonetheless, he quietly accepted it and removed the thin dagger from its sheath. The clean, silver blade glinted strongly in the sunlight as he held it up, examining it before hanging it back to me with a nod.

"Where did you get something like that?" he inquired as I held it tightly.

"While I was in Transylvania. I was told this dagger was made specifically for protection against vampires," I explained. "Apparently it was used once hundreds of years ago, then left behind in some old castle. I didn't believe it was actually going to be useful until now. Will this really work?"

He inclined his head. "Yeah. I was going to give you this, but I guess since you have your own, you'll be fine." He showed me a small knife, similar to the one I was holding but much smaller and easier to carry around.

"Why do you have something like that?" I dared to inquire.

"I... It's a long story." Without prior warning, Subaru suddenly embraced me, crashing my body against his. "...Sorry, this is going to hurt."

He licked the side of my neck that hadn't yet been bitten, slowly sinking his fangs inside. I cried out in pain, clutching onto his shoulders tightly as I realized why he had abruptly cut the conversation - Raito had come out in search of me. If he had found out Subaru was helping me, I would surely be done with. As he came towards us, a smile on his face, Subaru slid his knife secretly into his pocket and just in the nick of time.

"Oh, so even Subaru can't help himself around our little doll," Raito remarked, clearly enjoying himself as he watched us. "And out in the open, too? Reiji would be angry if he found out."

"Go away," Subaru snapped, pulling away to glare at him. "I can't stand your stupid face."

"Don't get so feisty on me, Subaru," Raito scolded. "I'd like to join in on the fun."

Mortified and not knowing what to do, I met Subaru's apologetic eyes. What I did from here was up to me. I could run and risk getting caught before even reaching the house or I could use the dagger now, against him. I didn't like either choice. I looked back and forth between Subaru and Raito, at a loss for words, when someone else appeared on the scene, saving me from making a decision I would regret later on. It was Kanato, who wanted me to cook something for him to eat.

"Sayumi-chan, I'm feeling hungry again," he said. "Teddy says you make good pancakes and he would like some more. Could you please cook for us?"

Never in my life would I have been so eager to cook a meal for someone who tried to kill me with a telescope and a steak knife the night before. I nodded eagerly, following the boy back into the house and leaving Raito with Subaru. Kanato acted as if nothing at all had happened the night before and sat down obediently at the table, talking to Teddy and singing softly to himself as he waited for me to finish cooking him pancakes. Knowing he had a thing for sweets, I added extra blueberries and sugar just to please him.

I carried the plate of pancakes into the dining room, giving him a fork and a bread knife to cut the pancake with. "Kanato, how much syrup do you want? Or would you like to put it on yourself?" I asked cautiously, forcing a smile even though I was internally terrified I would make a fatal mistake.

"I can do it myself," he said, taking the bottle from me. "Teddy says thank you."

"...You're welcome."

I watched as he enjoyed his meal, a smile on his face as he gobbled down pancake after pancake. When he had finished I washed the dishes for him as he wandered off, leaving me all by myself. While I washed up, I found myself thinking about my dad and remembering how we would change everyday chores like washing dishes into something fun by singing or making it a competition of who could wash more dishes within a certain amount of time. Around this time of day, I would usually be watching my favorite television sitcom with Auntie and Daichi at the Ochi house while Dad worked. Sometimes, if he had a break, he would stop by to visit us, bringing food for us to enjoy while we laughed our heads off at the antics of the characters.

How had I lost all of that happiness so quickly? Ever since Dad had gone missing everything around me seemed to crash and burn right before my eyes and I was utterly powerless to stop it. I wished time would just reverse and I would be able to prevent my dad from even getting onto that plane in the first place. He would still be here and I would never have even step foot in this horrible house, much less live in it.

A tear rolled down my cheek as I ran the soapy dish underneath the faucet, scrubbing it with the sponge. I had been so preoccupied with trying to keep myself alive in this place that I hadn't cried even once. Now, all of the tears that had accumulated over the past month had come pouring out and I wept to myself silently, not even bothering to wipe them away.

"Something smells good," a voice suddenly stated, jolting me out of my temporary quietness. From the corner of my eye, I saw Shu enter the kitchen, drawn in by the lingering scent of the pancakes. Panicking, I kept my head down, hoping he wouldn't notice me crying and leave.

"Yeah, I cooked Kanato something since he was hungry," I said, soaping the fork and rinsing it down. As I picked up the bread knife to clean, Shu came up beside me, sniffing the air by the stove lightly as if to affirm my claims.

I reached across him to put the knife into the rack, running my hands under the stream of water and turning the faucet off. I went to dry my hands on a towel, surprised to find that Shu still hadn't left yet. I avoided looking directly at him as I put the towel back onto its hook and walked back to the sink. I put whatever dry dishes there were on the rack into the cabinets, sneaking a glance over at Shu. He was silently reading the instructions on the back of the pancake mix box, appearing as if in deep concentration.

"Have you ever cooked before?" I asked him.

Without turning around, he answered, "No."

"It's kind of hard when you first start out but you get the hang of it," I said, though I didn't even know why I was telling him any of this. "When I first tried to cook something, I was seven years old. My mom bought me one of those mini ovens that were popular at the time and I tried to bake cookies by myself for her birthday. It was the first time I used it by myself and I ended up burning myself and making cookies that tasted and looked like rocks."

He put the box down and gazed over at me, his captivating blue eyes locking with mine. I quickly averted my gaze, knowing how awful and pitiful I must appear after crying. I didn't want him to see my swollen eyes and tear-stained cheeks. Shu slowly approached me, cornering me against the counter as he tilted my chin up to face him. My heart skipped a beat as he leaned his body into mine, his prince-like face drawing closer to me by the second.

I instinctively pinched my eyes shut, a warm, wet feeling darting across my cheek.

_Did he just… lick me?_

My eyelids fluttered open and I found Shu tilting his head to the side in amusement. "You had some batter on your face."

"Oh… Wait, really? When did it get there?" I found myself feeling embarrassed. "It must have gotten there when I rubbed my face after I finished cooking. How embarrassing…"

He smiled teasingly at me, his thumb grazing across my cheek. "Your eyes were closed so tightly. It was like you were expecting me to kiss you or something."

Heat rushed up into my face as I quickly denied his statement. "Of course I wasn't!"

"Hm? So what's with that expression of yours?"

He studied my features for a moment, entertained at how flustered I had gotten, before calmly withdrawing as if nothing had happened. Rubbing the back of his head, he yawned, the appearance of his fangs reminding me that although he seemed normal compared to his brothers, he was still a vampire like they were. However, I couldn't find the capacity to dislike Shu as strongly as I did the others. Something about him just set him apart from the rest.

"If you're going to cry, then don't bother trying to hide it," he said after a period of silence. He headed towards the exit, stuffing his hands into his pockets. "Humans are strange…"

So he had noticed me crying, after all. Though he had scolded me for trying to pretend that I wasn't, there was a tiny trace of sympathy in his voice. Perhaps Shu understood how lonely and helpless I felt here and that was his way of cheering me up. Or maybe I was just imagining things to make myself feel better. Either way, my heart felt at ease after speaking with him. I resolved not to cry anymore – if my friends and family knew I allowed myself to give up so easily, they would be disappointed, wouldn't they?

I returned to my room to study. Reiji had degraded me earlier, saying that I would make them look bad by getting low scores, so I decided I would prove him wrong by getting a higher score than he did on the exit exams. Stacking the books up on my bed, I grabbed a notebook and pen and set off to work.


	7. Fall

Author's Note: I can't help but agree with you guys. Subaru and Sayumi is pretty cute. Too bad this is isn't a Subaru fanfiction! I might write one after I'm finished with this (whenever that will be). I hope you guys are ready for another intense chapter! You guys should really listen to the Diabolik Lovers soundtracks while reading this! It makes it so much more intense!

* * *

><p>I exited my last class with Shu, carrying my books in front of me as we headed down the hallway past other students. I needed to use the bathroom so he waited for me outside while I went in. As I was washing my hands, a girl standing at the sink next to me kept glancing over at me. At first I didn't think much about it - after all, a lot of girls were envious of me because I was constantly surrounded by the brothers, who were popular for their good looks. I hadn't even had any opportunities to make any friends even though I had been at the school for over a month already. Nobody dared to approach me, being either intimidated by Reiji's harsh glares or the fact I was never left without supervision by one of the brothers.<p>

"Excuse me," she called. When I looked up at her, I was surprised by the smile that instantly came onto her pretty face. "Hi, sorry to bother you. It's just that you look a lot like someone I know."

"Really?" I asked. "Who?"

"She's a blogger," the girl replied. "Fujimoto Sayumi. Have you heard of her?"

I couldn't help but beam widely at the mention of my name. It was hard to believe that I would run into someone who recognized me here at the school. "Of course I have. You're looking right at her," I responded happily.

She stared at me for a moment before gasping aloud. "No way... _Really_?" She grasped onto my arms, squealing in delight. "You've been this close to me the whole time and I didn't even know? It's such an honor to meet you! I'm one of your biggest fans. I love your videos."

I had met followers of mine before but never had I felt so glad to find someone who knew me around here. "Thank you! What's your name?"

"Me? I'm Yuki," she answered, almost appearing to be bashful. "I'm seriously in shock. How did I not know you went here, too?"

"That's because I moved not too long ago," I said. "It's only been a little over a month since I started attending this school. I'm surprised to find someone who knows me here!"

"Oh, so is that why you haven't updated recently? Everyone's been worried about you," she spoke. "I'm glad that you're doing fine, though. Do you not have internet where you're living now?"

I shook my head. I wanted to tell her that I had no internet and neither did I have even a cell phone any longer, seeing as how Reiji had completely destroyed it a while ago. I kept this tidbit to myself as I responded to her. "I don't, so I haven't been able to post anything."

"That must be tough on you, senpai. Blogging is part of your life, isn't it?"

"Yeah, definitely." I forced a laugh. "Yuki, is it okay if I have a favor to ask of you?"

The girl nodded her head enthusiastically. "Of course!"

"Please let everyone know I'm doing fine," I said. "Oh, and one more thing..."

* * *

><p>Shu and I joined the others at the front of the school. As I moved to stand between him and Subaru, Reiji snapped at me, his arms crossed angrily over his chest.<p>

"What took you so long to get here?" he demanded. "You're _six_ minutes later than usual."

Surprisingly, Shu spoke up before I could. I was used to Reiji's pedantic nature, seeing as how he kept track of everything I did and how long I took, but it seemed that even Shu had gotten tired of his ridiculous expectations. "I took her to the bathroom. Stop being so picky about every little thing. The driver isn't even here yet."

Reiji, incredulous, could say nothing in return. I almost laughed had it not been that hostile, murderous glare he shot over at me. I lowered my head as a group of girls walked by, calling out shyly to Raito, who was quick to go and flirt with them. _Typical. _Subaru rolled his eyes in annoyance as more girls mustered up the courage to approach the group, clinging affectionately onto an unsuspecting Ayato while getting completely ignored by Shu, Reiji, and Subaru. One of the girls noticed me standing with the boys and came over to me, bravely pushing past Subaru on the way.

"Hey, you. What kind of relationship do you have with the Sakamaki brothers?" she demanded. "I always see you with them."

Having encountered girls like her before, I was hardly even fazed in spite of her obvious vehemence. Though she comported herself with what she thought was class and elegance, anyone would be able to tell that it was just a façade to mask her unruly nature underneath. She appeared willing to tear off my head if she wanted to and she would do so with a classy smile on her face.

"Why does that matter to you?" I asked. "It really has nothing to do with you."

She got even angrier when she realized I wasn't afraid of her in the slightest, reaching over to seize me by the collar. "You _bitch_, it has everything to do with me! I don't want you anywhere near my Shu-sama," she snapped at me like a rabid dog. Proving my point that she was unruly under her neat uniform and pinned-up hair, she shook me violently. "He's mine! He's too good for a plain girl like you!"

Shu glanced behind him when he heard the commotion. He calmly came to my side, gently taking the girl's hand off of my collar and looking down at her in disinterest. The astonished girl could only stand there in disbelief as Shu took my arm, tugging me along with him from the scene and standing right beside me, his arm brushing against my own from the close proximity. Even I was surprised at his sudden intervention, wondering why he had stepped in to help me when he would usually let me handle things on my own. Judging from how he spoke back to Reiji before, I assumed his patience was thin today.

He gazed up at the night sky, seeming to ignore everything around him as he immersed himself into his own little world. He completely tuned out the voices of the girls around us, losing himself in the beauty of the stars above our heads. I hadn't been wrong when I assumed that Shu was a lot different from his brothers – he seemed the most human, after all. However, there was something amiss from the usual. I may have been imagining things, but as he gazed off into space, I saw his blue eyes briefly cloud over in sadness.

"Thank you, Shu," I commented after I heard the girl storm away in her rage.

He acted like he didn't hear me, but a small smile tugged at the corner of his lips as he met my eyes. I could feel Reiji's burning stare from beside me but chose to ignore him and checked up on the status of the other brothers. Kanato had since disappeared from his original spot and was standing right behind me, his huge eyes in front of my face as he smiled creepily at me. Ayato was yelling at the girls to leave him alone, Subaru was glancing at me in concern, and naturally, Raito was still occupied with flirting with the ten girls who had now crowded around him, hoping for attention. I shook my head, trying to ignore the fact Kanato was practically breathing down my neck and waited for the car to arrive.

When it had, I was the first to rush inside, relieved to get away from the cold. Unfortunately for me, I wound up sitting beside Kanato, who had held onto me when I boarded the vehicle, not wanting to be separated. He clutched onto his teddy bear while rocking slightly back and forth, occasionally humming to himself with the surprisingly soothing voice he had. Raito was the last to get into the car, sitting down beside Subaru who was clearly displeased with the sitting arrangements. Raito grinned at me, reaching across to touch my leg.

"Were you jealous, Sayumi-chan?" he asked, calling me by my name for the first time. "I saw you looking over at me. Don't worry, when we get home, I'll make it all up to you."

I scooted my leg out of his reach, swatting his hand away. "No thank you."

_I wonder if he called me by my name without even realizing it…_ Raito chortled cheerfully, pulling away and watching me intently the whole ride back home. By now, I was used to being watched, though it didn't make it okay for them to do it. I could only imagine what kind of things Raito was imagining when he stared at me, a smirk on his lips and a perverted glint in his eye.

"Everyone is to gather in the living room and study as soon as we get home," Reiji announced, temporarily averting Raito's eyes. "I refuse to let you all slack off and bring our scores down."

"What's the point?" Ayato argued. "It's just going to be a waste of time."

"I kind of agree with Ayato on this one," Raito remarked.

"I don't care. You're all going to study, and that's final."

* * *

><p>Just as Reiji had ordered, we all gathered together in the living room to study. I sat on the couch between Subaru and Ayato, diligently indulging myself in my studies. A few minutes into my note-taking, I noticed someone's eyes on me and lifted my head to find Raito was staring at me from where he sat beside Kanato. I tried to ignore it but after a while it bothered me so much that I decided there was no other choice but to confront him about it.<p>

"Okay, what is it?"

"It's just that you look so tempting," Raito said, licking his lips. "A woman in glasses always stirs me up inside. Not to mention you're in a dress. Your long legs are so lovely."

I quickly took off the glasses I had put on for my reading and put them off to the side. It was harder for me to read that way, but as long as Raito wasn't staring at me like some hungry lion, then I could deal with it. The study session ended within an hour and everyone spread out to do their own thing. I stayed behind for the sole purpose of making sure I was familiar with the material and ended up remaining there into the dead of the night. I eventually tired and lied down onto my side to take a break, gradually drifting off into a deep slumber.

I awoke suddenly when I felt someone lifting me up off of the couch and carrying me up the stairs towards my room. My eyelids fluttering open, I found myself gazing up at Shu, who had wrapped a blanket around my shoulders and was bringing me to the safety of my bedroom. I didn't dare to let him know I was awake and kept my eyes closed the entire way there. As soon as he laid me down on the bed, he pulled the blanket up to cover me, softly brushing the hair from my face.

"Shu," I mumbled as I summed up the courage to open my eyes.

"So you were awake," he said as I sat up, rubbing my eyes. "You're lucky it was me who found you sleeping outside like that."

"You're right – thank you." We sat silently in the darkness of my room for a brief moment before I opened my mouth to speak again. "Why are you so nice to me?"

"Don't mistake this for kindness," he replied, though his tone was far from threatening. "I am a vampire just like the rest of them are."

"_Still_…"

I trailed off, unable to complete my train of thought. For just an instant, he smiled, catching me by surprise when he suddenly came over towards me, draping his body over my own and gazing intensely into my eyes. My heart raced as he traced a finger over my lips, his face drawing close as he pressed his lips against mine. Having never been kissed before in my entire life, the sensation to me was completely foreign. I wasn't opposed to the feeling of his soft lips and held tightly onto him, shamelessly submitting myself to his ministrations. He moved his lips down to my neck, where his fangs pierced my flesh.

He placed a finger to my lips to silence my gasp, pulling away to chuckle lightly at me.

"Your blood is so hot," he whispered, licking the wound clean. "You're excited, aren't you?"

"A-As if," I stammered with burning cheeks.

"That's a lie," he murmured in amusement. "Your blood tells me a different story. Don't bother trying to hide it. I can see right through you."

"W-Whatever…" I retorted, pushing him off of me.

He stood up, heading towards the door. "Good night."

"Good night, Shu."

* * *

><p>The following afternoon, I walked into the kitchen to cook lunch. I didn't know how many of the others were up and about, so I decided not to make too much pasta in case it went to waste. I was boiling the pasta separately when someone entered the kitchen, drawn in by the fragrant smell of the tomatoes and spices. Ayato came up beside me, sniffing the sauce and rubbing the back of his head tiredly. I grabbed an empty plate and a fork from the cabinet, pushing it towards him.<p>

"It's done, if you want any," I said.

"It smells pretty good," he commented as he helped himself to the finished food. "What's with you recently? You're being nice all of a sudden."

"What do you mean? I've always been nice," I protested.

He knocked me on the back of my head teasingly. "Weirdo."

"_Hey_!" Glaring at him, I smacked him on the shoulder, watching as he strolled away, cackling. A few moments later, Subaru strolled in, attracted by the smell and stuck his nose into the sauce just like Ayato had. His eyes widened in surprise as he grabbed me by the arm.

"It… It smells so _good_," he breathed. "Where did you learn to make something so good?"

I couldn't help but smile at him. "I learned from my dad. Help yourself. I didn't make much, so make sure you get some while it's still here."

Subaru eagerly scooped himself pasta and heaped sauce onto it, licking some of the sauce that had gotten onto his hand. "It smells good and tastes good."

Giggling, I couldn't help but notice how much he resembled a child. Though he always behaved so rashly and was quick to anger, he really was soft underneath. He was like the younger brother I never had and in spite of him being a vampire, I felt the inclination to take care of him. Subaru saw how entertained I was by his enthusiastic outburst and blushed, glaring at me.

"What are you smiling about?" he demanded, storming out. He had gone without even getting himself a fork to use. He stormed back in, snatched the fork from my hand, and left.

After eating alone in the dining room, I went upstairs to take a bath. I found myself a pair of shorts and a plain, red v-neck, bringing my things into the bathroom down the hallway. As I stared at my own reflection, brushing my hair away from my shoulders, the bite marks I had received from Shu the previous night came into view. Surprisingly enough, I wasn't afraid when he was drinking my blood. Rather than being terrified or unwilling as I had when Ayato, Raito, and Reiji had drank my blood, when it came to Shu, I was… okay with it. He wasn't violent nor did he force me to do a thing. If I had wanted to, I could have pushed him away – but I hadn't.

And that kiss, too… My heart skipped a beat as I relived that dizzyingly gentle kiss he had suddenly given me. I touched a hand to my lips, faintly able to recall the feeling of his soft lips tenderly moving against my own.

What did it all mean?

I was jolted from my thoughts when I detected movement in the mirror. I only caught a glimpse of who it was before I was forcefully seized from behind, two strong arms securely enclosing around my body and pinning my arms at my sides. I screamed, struggling violently against my mysterious attacker and attempting to wriggle free from their death grip. Each attempt proved to be unsuccessful and only seemed to aggravate him, his grasp tightening so much that the air was literally squeezed out of my body, leaving me gasping desperately for oxygen.

A sharp pain shot through my shoulder as two angry fangs sunk into my flesh. I was debilitated of my ability to resist, knowing any sudden movements would cause my shoulder to be torn apart. I winced in pain as I felt the blood being drained from my body, my knees going weaker and weaker as the seconds ticked by. My vision was beginning to give way from blood loss as my knees gave way beneath me. My attacker held my limp body up as he removed his fangs, turning me around to face him.

I captured a glimpse of a shock of dark hair and envious red eyes before the door busted open and I was released from my attacker's grasp. I fell, smacking my head on the sink and collapsing onto the ground weakly.

"Sayumi," a voice called as someone stooped down at my side.

"Shu?" I asked, my voice slurred as I searched for the strength to look at him.

"You wish. It's me." Subaru's face came into my line of vision, his brows knit together in concern. "Hey, stay awake. Can you get up?"

I attempted to lift myself up, only to fall back down onto the ground. Subaru sighed heavily. "Okay, I guess I'm going to have to carry you, then." He hoisted me up in his arms, resting my head against his chest as I struggled to keep myself conscious. "Stay awake, Sayumi. Come on."

"I'm trying," I said as I made an honest effort to keep my eyelids from closing. Subaru shook me, trying to keep me from falling unconscious. "I can't…"

"Hey… Open your eyes," he ordered in annoyance as I slipped out of consciousness. "Sayumi!"

* * *

><p>"Is anyone going to tell me what happened? I'm always left out."<p>

"Who knows? I'm just as clueless as you are."

"Subaru just dropped her off here without even saying anything. So typical of him."

"I think she's ill. Her skin looks paler than usual."

"Maybe."

"I think she's waking up! Sayumi-chan, wake up!"

"Please keep your voice down, Raito. She's sleeping."

Awakened by the sound of voices speaking around me, I sat up to find myself lying on the living room sofa surrounded by Raito, Ayato, Kanato, and Shu, who had all gathered around to stare at me. My head was throbbing painfully and my body felt heavy and lifeless. Drained of energy, I mustered up what strength my body did have to stand up, only to stumble over and fall helplessly onto the floor at Raito's feet.

"Poor thing, she can't even stand," Raito teased, stepping down to peer into my face. He didn't appear to be sympathetic or concerned for my well being in the slightest.

"Sayumi-chan, are you okay?" Kanato inquired, leaning over my fallen form. "We've been waiting for you to wake up for two hours already."

"What's wrong with you?" Ayato demanded, placing his hands on his hips as he stared at me. "You had the nerve to hit me earlier and now you're lying there on the floor like a sick dog."

Shu pushed Raito aside as he moved to my side, rolling me onto my back and touching a hand to my forehead. "Get Reiji – she's burning up."

I tried to object, but no words would come out of my mouth. It was Reiji who had attacked me earlier – before I had lost consciousness, I caught a glimpse of dark hair and bright, red eyes. There was nobody else who it could have been but him. I didn't know what sparked his sudden assault, but he was ruthless, sneaking up on me when I wasn't looking and mercilessly stabbing my shoulder with his sharp fangs. Just the thought of seeing him again after what had taken place horrified me. But no matter how hard I tried to formulate the words, nothing would come out. I grabbed blindly for Shu's hand and when I had found it, I squeezed it, hoping he would get the message.

He merely gazed at me, oblivious to my mental anguish as he instructed Raito to fetch him.

_No… Shu, please…_

"Don't worry," he said. "Reiji can fix this."


	8. Prisoner

Author's Note: I was greatly disturbed writing this part, but... I feel like it really captures what I'm aiming the characters to be like in this story. Well, I'm just going to leave this hanging at chapter 8 for a few days while I focus on my other fanfics!

* * *

><p>I woke up with a start, jerking out of my slumber drenched in my own sweat. I threw the blankets off of my body and scanned my surroundings. I was lying in a bed, but it wasn't in the safety of my own bedroom. I stumbled weakly out of bed, crawling over to the door only to find it was locked from the outside. I banged loudly on it, yelling for someone to open it up and shrinking tiredly against it. There was the sound of footsteps approaching before it creaked open to reveal Reiji, his red eyes visible in the obscurity of the darkness.<p>

"Oh, you're finally awake, are you?" he asked coldly, picking me up and gazing down at me. "You're sick. You need to be resting."

"Bastard, let me go," I demanded, wanting nothing but to be far away from him. He threw me back onto the floor like a piece of garbage.

"Your manners are deplorable. I'm helping you and you act as if I'm an enemy," he castigated me. Meeting his malicious eyes, it was evident just how furious he was in spite of his relatively normal tone of voice. He bent down to my level, turning my head harshly so that he could take a look at my neck. I cried out in pain as his fingers dug mercilessly into my skin, threatening to break my neck if I made any sudden movements.

"That worthless scum, trying to take what rightfully belongs to me," he spat. I realized he was looking at the bite marks I had received from Shu, Reiji's never-ending, violent envy rising up to the surface. He released his grip on my face, studying my fearful expression for a moment before letting out a sigh. He tucked his arms beneath me, lifting me up and gently laying me back down onto the bed.

"If you want to get better, then you first must get some proper rest," he said, surprisingly losing the harsh, biting tone from before. "Don't try anything stupid."

He shut and locked the door behind him, leaving me alone with nothing to do but to try to go back to sleep. After what seemed like ages of suffering from insomnia, I finally fell asleep, though it was far from being comfortable and replenishing.

* * *

><p>It was morning when I next woke up. Although I was still groggy and exhausted, I felt much better than I had the previous night. I had enough energy to move around and get a better look of my surroundings. I was still somewhere in the house, for certain, but it wasn't my bedroom nor was it anywhere near it. The view out the window was completely different - rather than overlooking the rose garden, I was looking over the tops of the trees in forest, the shimmering blue water of the lake in the distance. This was the opposite wing of the house from where my room was and possibly where Reiji's territory was.<p>

When I tried to open the door, I realized it was bolted tightly and knocked loudly on it. "Reiji? I'm awake."

The door swung open and Reiji, dressed in a plain, white dress-shirt and black pants came into view. "You're up," he commented. "Sit down, I'll bring you your medicine."

I stared over his shoulder, discovering that this room was connected to his own and that I had aroused him from his sleep. I didn't want to aggravate him and so I did as he instructed, sitting obediently down on the bed as he fetched whatever he was going to bring me. He returned within a few minutes with a teacup, stirring its contents as he sat down on the bed beside me. Masking my fear, I lowered my head and waited silently for him to speak up.

"It's hot, so be careful when you drink it," he advised, passing the cup to me. I gingerly accepted it, lightly blowing on the surface of the piping hot liquid before taking a sip. A bitter taste spread through my mouth and I cringed, unintentionally coughing. Pressured by his intense gaze, I resolved myself to drink the whole thing, as long as it could alleviate me of my symptoms.

"Today is Saturday," he told me. "You missed school yesterday but it doesn't matter. Next week are finals, anyway, so there was no necessity."

"Okay."

"Very well. If there are no questions for me, I will be getting back to sleep," he said, rising from his seat on the bed. Before he could go, I called out to him, causing him to pause by the doorway.

"Wait!" I called. "There is something I'd like to know."

He stopped, turning around to look at me. "What?"

"Um..." I tried my hardest to be as nice as I possibly could. "Can't I stay in my own room? I'm feeling better and I don't want to impose on you. I think I can take care of myself."

Reiji crossed his arms over his chest and smiled... but not in a comforting way at all. "You're not well enough to care for yourself. Besides, is it not more convenient for you to be close by where I can fetch you medicine whenever you need it?" he inquired.

"I... I guess. But really, Reiji, I think I'll be fine. You've already given me medication, and I..." I yawned, feeling suddenly drowsy. "I... want to be back in my own... room..."

"You're tired," he commented as he laid me down into bed, pulling the blankets over my body. "Get some rest."

* * *

><p>Hours later, I got up once again to find that Reiji had left the door open slightly. I rolled myself out of bed, struggling to overcome my dizziness as I staggered drunkenly to the door. Reiji was sitting at his desk, the warm glow of the setting sun highlighting his handsome features. Though I hated to admit it, Reiji was devilishly attractive, much like the rest of his brothers. He had sharp, refined features and startling, red eyes. It was a shame that he was so difficult to like.<p>

"How are you feeling?" he asked, turning to look at me.

"Dizzy," I spoke. "And I can't breathe in that room. I need some fresh air."

"Then you may open the window and sit out here with me," he said. "I'll make you some tea."

As I moved to unlatch the window, Reiji left the room, closing the door and locking it from the outside. I jiggled the doorknob, attempting to pull it open, but it wouldn't budge. He really was intent on keeping me here, wasn't he? Giving up, I sat on the chair by the window and gazed longingly out at the sunset in the distance. I wondered what everyone was doing back at home. They probably had no idea I was trapped in a vampire house, much less serving as a victim of their twisted game.

"I'm back. Drink it." He handed me a piping hot cup of tea, standing before me to make sure I drank it. "As long as you drink this and get enough rest, you'll be fine by the time final exams come."

I blew gently on it before taking a sip. Once I had finished, I returned it to him, watching as he placed it on the table. "Reiji, can't I go out and take a walk? I think I need some exercise. They say getting some air and getting outside is good for you."

"No, I can't let you leave," he replied. "Otherwise..."

He trailed off, not wanting to say anymore and returned to his desk to resume his works. Feeling annoyed with his intention to keep me imprisoned in his room, I stood up and moved to the door, surprised to find he had forgotten to lock it when he originally came inside. He noticed me trying to get away and rushed to stop me, shoving me away and slamming the door shut.

I cried out in pain when I landed on my wrist, instantly spraining it. I rolled onto my side, tears welling up in my eyes as I clutched my injured hand to my chest. Reiji grabbed something from the shelf beside him, sitting me up and quickly bandaging my wrist.

"Troublesome human," he said, forcing me onto my feet. The pain in my wrist gradually numbed as I succumbed to an abrupt exhaustion once again, slumping over into his arms. He sighed, lifting me up yet again and gazing down at me. "I won't let him have you. _Ever_."

* * *

><p>"Hey."<p>

_A voice was calling me, somewhere far in the distance._

"Hey, wake up, will you?"

_I knew that voice from somewhere, but where?_

"Sayumi."

_Was it a friend or a foe?_

"What's with you? Can you hear me?"

_I can't tell…_

"Sayumi, wake up. It's me."

…_Who?_

"You're troublesome, really. Open your eyes, it's just me."

_I'm trying, but…_

Jerking awake, I shot upright, nearly butting heads with the person who had been attempting to rouse me from my sleep. As I looked around in confusion, my eyes locked with those of Subaru, who was standing before me, glaring at me in irritation. I touched a hand to my pulsing temple, wincing as a sharp pain shot through my head. It was hot, so hot that I was sweating. I hastily threw off the blanket, sighing in relief as my skin came into contact with the cool air around me.

I was no longer in the room Reiji had kept me prisoner in. Somehow, I had safely been returned to my own room. It was daytime – what day it was, I didn't know. I could hardly remember much prior to regaining my consciousness. I closed my eyes and tried to concentrate. Right – it was beginning to clear up now. Before I had last fallen asleep, I had tried to escape from Reiji's room and ended up with a sprained wrist. As I was slowly slipping away, Reiji had held me in his arms and mumbled something… what was it?

His words shot through me like an arrow. _"Troublesome human. I won't let him have you. Ever." _He had then proceeded to carry me into the back room, where I remembered him dropping me down onto the mattress, tucking me in and shutting the blinds. Helpless and beyond my limits, I had lied there, watching his backside as he took his leave, the lock clicking shut soon after.

"It took you long enough to get up," Subaru remarked as my eyelids fluttered back open. "I've been trying for the past five minutes."

"Sorry," I apologized. "I heard you, but I couldn't get myself awake. What day and time is it?"

"Monday afternoon," Subaru related. "You've been locked up in Reiji's room for the past three nights."

"So I've been asleep for more than a full day, then," I mused. "The last time I remember being awake was Saturday evening."

Subaru nodded his head grimly. "He's been drugging you and holding you prisoner up until this morning. I came in when he was gone and discovered his little secret. There were five empty cups on the table. It's no wonder you slept as long as you did."

Stunned, I could only stare at him in disbelief. Reiji had drugged me – that explained the sudden nausea and drowsiness I had experienced. That also accounted for all of the hours I had been knocked out. I had probably woken up more times than I recalled but only briefly before he gave me more of that cursed tea to drink. Just the thought of him slipping his blasted chemicals into the tea he promised would rejuvenate me both infuriated and terrified me. He practically treated me as if I were his property and prohibited me from leaving the room even though I had tried reasoning with him.

"I… no wonder I kept on getting sleepy even though I just woke up," I remarked, tying two loose ends together. "Subaru, how did you…?"

He sighed, crossing his arms over his chest. "Remember Friday afternoon? What happened in the bathroom? I was passing by and I heard you screaming. I rescued you and you called for Shu instead," he spoke, reminding me about how this all began. "What did you do to aggravate Reiji so much? I thought I told you not to put yourself in danger. Or did you ignore my advice?"

"I didn't do anything!" I argued, defending myself. "I've been following your advice as much as I possibly could. He did that out of nowhere. I don't know why he was so angry."

It didn't seem as if Subaru believed me, but he didn't challenge me. "Just be more careful from now on. He's going to be mad when he finds out I got you out of there. From now on, stick by me and try not to get too close to any of the others," he advised. "You still have your dagger, right?"

"Yeah."

"Keep it with you always."

The silence that ensued was brief. "Subaru, are they all my enemies?"

He hesitated for a moment before answering. "You're a human. We're vampires. Don't forget that we vampires prey on defenseless humans like you."

"Yes, but you're different," I reasoned. "You're on my side."

"Don't be fooled. I am a vampire after all," he replied.

"Not all vampires are the same, are they?" I stated more than asked. "Nobody but you and Shu have showed me any kindness. If you two weren't here, I-"

He stood up suddenly, catching me by surprise. "Don't mistake this for kindness."

"If it isn't kindness, then what is it?" I questioned. "You wouldn't be helping me if you weren't kind."

Subaru's rigid gaze softened, though I only had a glimpse of it before he turned away. I needed to bathe so Subaru stood guard outside the bathroom door while I rinsed myself up. I dressed myself in comfortably-fitting shorts and a long-sleeved white v-neck and stepped out of the bathroom feeling refreshed. Together we ventured out to the garden, where Ayato was lounging underneath the shade of a tree, awakened by the sound of our footsteps approaching. He sat up, about to scold Subaru for disturbing his relaxation when he set eyes on me.

"Eh? So you're not dead," he commented, approaching us. "Were you that sick?"

"Maybe."

He sniffed my hair, raising a brow in curiosity. "You smell like Reiji. What's going on? You're his now or what?"

"I don't belong to anyone," I retaliated.

Ayato merely smiled. "You say that now, but eventually you're going to have to give yourself up to one of us. You'll be begging to have your blood sucked."

I kept my mouth shut, giving him the last laugh just this time around. My tactic of holding my tongue seemed to work and Ayato sauntered off, pleased with himself for getting away with mocking me. Subaru shook his head in irritation, though he mentioned nothing about his brother's behavior as we paced towards a spot in the shade.

"You're going to have to get yourself out of this place as soon as you can," he stated. "Listen. You're not safe here. After finals are done with, you're going to have to run. If you don't, then…"

I was scared to ask.

"Then what?"

"You'll die."


	9. Close

Author's Note: Yeah! Chapter 9! So far I've kind of been going with the flow, but I have everything planned for how I'm going to end this... *sneaky laughter*

* * *

><p>Subaru and I encountered Shu on our way back towards the home. He was sitting on the fountain, a music book sprawled open on his lap as he glanced over at us. Subaru left me alone with Shu, heading into the house first and closing the door behind him. Shu closed the book, turning towards me as I approached him, bowing politely and greeting him with a simple 'good afternoon'.<p>

He allowed me to sit down beside him, taking out one of his ear buds for the first time. "You and Subaru seem to be close," he commented, almost amused. "What happened?"

Ignoring his statements, I decided to change the topic. "What are you reading?"

"These are just music sheets," he replied. When I peered over at them, they were indeed music sheets, like he had said, yet he could spend hours just looking at them. I had assumed he loved music, seeing as he always had his earphones in, but I didn't expect he would love it this much. We did have one thing in common, then.

"Do you play instruments?" I asked.

He shrugged his shoulders carelessly. "Maybe."

"I take that as a yes. I used to be able to play flute but I haven't touched one in so long that I doubt I'd be able to play a single note," I told him, laughing. "I started learning how to play the cello three years ago.."

"Cello, huh?" He smiled, even if only slightly. At last, I seemed to have sparked his interest in something. "I play the violin and the piano."

"I've always wanted to learn the piano but I'm pretty clumsy so I gave up after some time," I confessed, glad we finally found something we had in common - a love for music. We spoke briefly before he suddenly fell silent, gazing off into the distance in deep thought. I didn't know what he was thinking about, but his expression was deeply solemn, as if recalling something tragic from his past. His blue eyes served as a looking glass into the emptiness he was hiding within him. The whole time I had known him, never had he smiled genuinely even once. He was always so detached from everything around him, always losing himself in his own little world.

He was always so lonely, so sad, as if he were repenting for something from his past; I longed to be able to understand him, to be able to make him smile. But why? Why did I feel so strongly to bring happiness to him?

Shu let out a breath, interrupting my train of thought. "You don't seem to be as bland as I thought."

"Neither do you."

Amused by my comeback, he glanced over at me, a low chuckle escaping his throat. I couldn't help but recall the kiss we had shared the other night, my cheeks instantly heating up as I remembered his soft lips against my own, and his touch more gentle than anything I had ever experienced in my life before. He had gazed at me so intensely then, hadn't he? And I didn't even object to him drinking my blood at all when on any given day, I would have resisted his advancements. What horrible timing to remember something like that.

"Are you sick again? Your face is red."

"No! I mean..." I didn't know what to say so I kept my lips sealed. Shu huffed, laying back down in disinterest and putting his ear bud back in, yet again shutting me out and entering his own world. I wouldn't let him, not this time. "Hey, don't go to sleep again!"

He looked over at me, slightly ticked off. "What is it?"

"Um, the other night," I began. I couldn't get the kiss out of my head – the only way was to confront him about it, or surely I would go insane mulling over it, wondering why he had done it. "You kissed me."

He went back to looking at his music book, opening it up to the page he had bookmarked. "What about it?"

"What was it for?"

It embarrassed me to ask something like this, but I needed to know for myself just what was going through his mind. Perhaps vampires were different, but for us humans, when you kissed someone like that on the lips, you were trying to show them how much love you had for them. Husbands kissed their wives, boyfriends kissed their girlfriends, parents kissed their siblings – in all of their different forms, they were all representative of their affection for their loved ones. I had never been kissed like that my entire life, having never dated anyone - Shu had taken my first kiss, and in the most unexpected way possible.

"What was it for?" he repeated. "Isn't it what you wanted?"

"What I wanted...? N-no, of course not!" I cried, feeling suddenly bashful. Was he trying to insinuate that I had wanted for him to be my first kiss? Just that idea in itself was so ridiculous that I would have laughed… except, I wasn't able to say that he wasn't completely wrong about it. If I hadn't wanted him to kiss me, wouldn't I have pushed him away or told him 'no'? I hadn't done either.

"You say that, but you clearly wanted it," he spoke. "Does it bother you?"

"Yes, it does," I confessed. "Please look at me when we talk." It was as if I were talking to a brick wall rather than to a person. When I spoke to someone – no, when anyone had a conversation, it was normal to face them eye-to-eye. Yet here Shu was busy reading his music sheets rather than looking at me. He heaved a sigh, reluctantly doing as I requested, sitting up and gazing right at me with his bewitching blue eyes. I almost wished he had still been lying down because it had just become ten times more difficult for me to properly voice my feelings.

"Well? I'm looking at you."

"Yeah, I can see that," I replied, my heart skipping a beat as I immersed myself in his solemn eyes. "Shu... besides you thinking that I wanted it, is there another reason why you kissed me?"

His expression did not change. "I don't understand your question. What other reason would there be?"

"Maybe..." I trailed off as he watched me intently. "Maybe… you wanted it?"

Shu was surprised at first, but eventually a teasing smile drew itself across his lips.

"...Perhaps."

I was dumbfounded.

_Huh?! Did he just admit to wanting to kiss me?_

The heat rushed up into my cheeks as he chuckled at me, reaching his long arms out to pull me gently against his body. I melted into his warm embrace, lowering my eyes timidly as he rested his face against my hair, taking deep, slow breaths. He had only been embracing me for a few moments before he regretfully withdrew. "What is Reiji's scent doing all over you?"

So he could detect it too, just like Ayato had...

"I…"

The front door slowly creaked open, revealing a greatly displeased Reiji. Shu immediately stood up, about to take his leave, when I clutched tightly onto him, not wanting him to abandon me with the one who intended to keep me locked up in his bedroom and doping me up with drugs to keep me from trying to get away. I held onto his arm fearfully, hoping he wouldn't shake me off and unintentionally hand me right over to the man who had caused my sudden illness.

Stunned, Shu met my frightened ones with his inquisitive ones. After studying me for an instant, he gently pushed me behind him, allowing me to hold onto him as Reiji glowered over at the two of us. Shu appeared to have been able to add two and two together to figure out why I smelled so heavily of his brother. I doubted he had any idea what I had gone through while being locked up, but as long as he didn't leave my side, I felt safe.

However, my relief was short-lived, as Reiji had paced over towards us, coolly pushing his glasses up and glaring at Shu. "What are you doing out here with her? She's ill and shouldn't be walking around like this."

Shu was not fazed at all. "She doesn't seem very sick if you ask me."

"What do you know?" Reiji demanded. "I'm a genius who possesses more knowledge in my head than you can ever dream of obtaining in your entire lifetime. And what are you? You're a spineless, good-for-nothing brat who doesn't know how to do anything but sleep and be a complete waste of an existence. Naturally, it's my word over yours, isn't it?"

Shu chuckled. "You never change, do you, Reiji?"

"Neither do you."

They exchanged competitive glares, not speaking a word. The tension in the air thickened as the bespectacled male turned his gaze onto me after I peered out from behind Shu's back. Did he know Subaru had been the one to release me from his makeshift dungeon or did he suspect me of getting out by myself? I couldn't tell. Either way, it was evident that he wasn't going to back down or leave the scene without dragging me forcefully with him.

"Tell Shu how sick you've been," Reiji instructed more than persuaded. "I have been dutifully caring for you while everyone else has been going on with their lives, not even bothering to care about whether or not you're being properly cared for."

_Taking care of me? You drugged me, you maniac!_

"I'm not sick anymore," I carefully stated. "I'm perfectly fine."

His brow twitched in annoyance. "It feels that way now, but an illness such as yours doesn't fade so quickly. Come over here so I can take care of you."

"No. You're not taking care of me at all. You're drugging me and keeping me locked up like a prisoner in your damn room," I argued. "That's not taking care of someone, is it?"

Now that I had exposed him in front of Shu, he snapped his eyes clouding over in rage as he stormed over towards me, yanking me by the shoulder. "You worthless ingrate," he berated.

Shu placed a firm hand on Reiji's arm, pulling him off of me. "Well, you heard her. She isn't sick." He smiled at Reiji, who was glowering venomously at him. "Besides, I'd like to know what you see in this girl to want to keep her locked up for your own benefit. It's a bit unlike you, isn't it?"

"I could ask you the same thing," Reiji retorted, wrenching his arm free of Shu's grasp. "Perhaps you would like to enlighten me on why you're protecting a mere human girl like her. Does she remind you of someone?"

Shu gave him an icy cold stare. "What are you trying to insinuate?"

"You're as hopeless as I thought you were," Reiji smirked, gaining the upper hand in their conflict. "Must I spell everything out for you in simple terms so it's easier for you to understand? I'll let you know what I believe. You actually like this girl, don't you? She reminds you of your pitiful human friend, doesn't she? Isn't that the only reason why you're so fixated on her?"

"Don't be ridiculous," Shu shot back, retaining his composure in spite of his obvious hostility. "You don't know anything, Reiji."

"I don't?" he challenged. "If I'm as ridiculous as you claim, then handing the girl over to me shouldn't be a problem, correct?"

Shu glanced at me briefly, cowering in fear behind him, before moving towards me. For an instant, I was horrified that he would willingly give me over, but instead, he leaned down and kissed me in front of Reiji. I was just as shocked as Reiji was, my eyes wide open in disbelief. Reiji grit his teeth, balling his hands into fists as Shu stood up straight, facing his brother.

"She's chosen me over you. How can I hand her over?" Shu asked.

Reiji was so furious that he was left at a loss for words, storming off the scene and leaving me behind with Shu, who let out a sigh of relief. He picked up his music book from the edge of the fountain and calmly walked off. I stood there by myself for a moment, still dazed from his unexpected kiss before chasing after him. He didn't tell me to leave him alone, so I assumed it was okay to follow him, at least just this once. I tailed a few steps behind him, accompanying him off the main property and down the quiet forest path.

A soft breeze caressed my damp hair as I folded my hands in front of me, gazing into the woods and marveling at its silent beauty. If only I had brought my camera along with me to snap photographs of the gently swaying trees and assortment of brightly-colored flowers. Songbirds chirped from where they were perched in the trees, as if to welcome me on my first walk through their home. A butterfly flirted playfully with me, fluttering its beautiful orange wings around me before taking off and disappearing over the tops of the trees.

I had almost lost sight of Shu in my transfixion with the immutable beauty of the forest, jogging to catch up with him. We reached the end of the path, emerging out into the open where a wide river ran, its clear waters shimmering under the bright glow of the sun. This river – I had seen it from Reiji's room in its glimmering brilliance, shining much like it was now. I stopped by the edge with Shu, gazing down into my mirrored reflection. It had been a while since I had seen something so captivating, so beautiful like this. Months ago I had gone on a fishing trip with the Ochi family into the countryside, where we sat on a small boat and fished for hours under the warmth of the spring sun. The river had been gorgeous then, but it paled in comparison to the one I was here gazing at with Shu.

For a long time we shared a mutual quietness, the only sound being that of the rustling leaves and the singing of the birds in the trees. I couldn't help but feel like I could stand here forever, appreciating this rare sight.

"Can you swim?"

To my surprise, it was Shu who had broken the silence, not me.

"Yeah, I can," I responded. "I used to be afraid of the water when I was younger, though. Deathly afraid, even."

"Were you that scared?"

I nodded, folding my arms over my chest as I gazed into the deep water, recalling the origins of my fear. "When I was young, I decided to swim in the pool in the park near my house. I didn't know how to swim, so I held onto the side so I wouldn't fall inside. I saw how all of the others kids were swimming around so I decided to try a hand at it for myself. Caught up in all of the fun, I wandered off into the deep end of the pool and I slipped underneath. I would have drowned if it hadn't been for my friend, who had seen me sinking and pulled me out of the water. After that, I was always scared of the water. Call it foolish, but afterwards, I began to look at the water and the ocean in a different way. Though it's beautiful, it's also dangerous. I guess a lot of beautiful things are deadly, aren't they?"

Shu agreed. "Yeah."

"How about you? What are you afraid of?"

"I'm not afraid of anything," he answered. "I have nothing to fear."

"That's a lie."

Shu was taken aback by my bold accusation but said nothing, merely glancing over at me expectantly.

"Everyone is scared of something," I said. "I told you my fear. What's yours?"

He let out a breath, gazing out over the water. "Fire…"

Standing there by the lake, Shu gave me a glimpse of his life story. As a young child, he had a friend by the name of Edgar. Edgar lived in a village nearby the mansion and Shu would visit him often to play with him. Tragically, one day the village was set on fire and both Edgar and his family had perished. Ever since then, Shu had always feared fire. That deep emptiness prevalent in his eyes – it was all due to his past, wasn't it?

I didn't know what came over me, but I moved over to him, wrapping my arms around him from his side. He instantly tensed up, looking down at me in surprise as I hugged him tightly. There was nothing I could say or do that could change the past, but now in the present I had the authority to change how the future played out. He had been suffering the his entire life, blaming nobody but himself for the tragedy that took away his only friend. Even though it wasn't his fault, he never allowed himself to enjoy the luxury of happiness, shutting the world out and allowing the demons of his guilt to haunt him for eternity.

"What are you doing?" he asked as I looked up at him with tears in my eyes. "What are you crying about? ...Strange."

"How can I not cry? You're blaming yourself for this when it wasn't even your fault."

"I never said I blamed myself," he stated calmly.

"You didn't have to."

It was heartbreaking to see him repenting for a crime he had never committed. But even so, it proved to me he was more human than I had originally thought. Under his laziness and aloof disposition, he really was just as human as I was.

He let out a heavy sigh, a gentle smile dancing upon his lips. "You're a troublesome girl."

"So I've been told."

Eventually I had released his arm, sitting down to watch the guppies swimming around at the shallow end of the river. I dangled my finger over the surface of the water, watching as the tiny fish followed my lead, swimming wherever my finger lead them. After some time I grew tired of playing with them and picked up a pebble, flinging it as far over the river as I could. It landed at the halfway point and created a miniature splash as it plunged into the water.

I picked up another pebble and gave it to Shu. It soared through the air, seeming to surpass the sun as it launched itself all the way to the other side of the river bank, where it bounced onto the grass. The difference between a vampire's strength and a human's was truly terrifying.

"Aren't you going to ask me about earlier?" Shu questioned.

"Oh! I forgot," I confessed, laughing sheepishly. "What was that all about earlier?"

"Reiji only left because he thought you had chosen me as the one whose bride you would be," he explained. "Maybe you didn't notice, but you're gradually changing. By the full moon next week, if things go as planned, you'll become a vampire like the rest of us. Then you'll choose one of us to be your lover."

My eyes widened in horror. "Wait... did you just say that I'm changing into a vampire?"

"Yes."

"...And if I don't?"

"You either turn or you die before you can. There really is no in between," he answered.

I gulped. "Wait. So those girls before, they all died because they didn't make it into their vampire state?"

"Right."

I covered my mouth with my hands as I stared down at my reflection in the water. I didn't want to become a vampire but the fact every girl before me died made becoming one of them far more appealing. Slowly accepting my fate, I ran my hands through my hair, wondering why it had to be me. Why did I have to end up here at a place like this? Why did I have the misfortune of being hunted down like some kind of animal? While I had been here I had been bitten, pushed, pulled, chased, drugged, imprisoned, and tormented. I had anticipated pulling through all of my struggles and returning home never to think back about what happened to me, but now that reality seemed like a faraway dream.

Even if I ran, I couldn't escape. I would become one of them.

"What am I supposed to do now?" I cried. "I didn't ask for this to happen to me. I did all I could to survive, and now..."

I just wanted to jump into the river and sink to the very bottom of it.

"Sayumi!"

Subaru came running down the forest path, waving a letter in his hand. He stopped to catch his breath, shoving the letter at me. I gingerly took it from his hands, gasping when I saw who it was from.

"Dad..."


	10. Shattered

Author's Note: This chapter is a bit longer than the others and it's a bit of a rollercoaster ride when it comes to emotions. But anyway, continue to review! I get so happy when I see your comments! c: (Oh, and my inbox is always open if you wanna chat!) Oh, and there's some cursing in this chapter. But it's only a little.

* * *

><p>I tore the envelope open and pulled out the letter waiting for me inside. My hands were trembling as I unfolded the page, my father's familiar, neat handwriting greeting me. I could hear his voice reciting the words alongside me as I read it aloud.<p>

'_My dearest Sayumi,_

_It pains me that I must write this letter, but the pain and guilt that I've been experiencing over the last two months have been far too great to ignore. There's no reason why you should feel inclined to forgive me, but you have the right to know the whole truth. The least I can do is confess everything to you here._

_Twenty-two years ago, I was heavily in debt and struggling to keep myself from living on the streets. By that time, your grandparents had passed and I had nowhere to go if I couldn't pay rent. I was about to lose everything - my apartment, my car, my job. All of it would be taken away from me in a matter of two weeks, at the most. Drowned up to my neck in financial troubles, I met a man who said he would give me a place to live, a stable job, clean clothes to wear and food to eat. I had thought he was doing it out of the good of his heart._

_After about three years had gone by, I realized I had been duped. By then I had become successful and could manage things on my own. I met your mother while on the job and things were settling down. It was like I never had been in debt at all. But that man showed up on my door one day, demanding that I repay him for what he had done for me. I offered him financial compensation but he wouldn't take it, no matter how much I offered. He didn't want a car, a house, a place to stay at._

_He saw that your mother was pregnant and when he found out it was a girl, he said I could pay him back by giving you up to him when you were of the right age. I thought he was crazy when he went on about vampire brides and ordered him to leave us alone or I'd call the police. By the time the police arrived, he had already left and your mother dismissed him, saying he must have been crazy. I thought so too, until years later, at your thirteenth birthday party._

_Remember when we had your party at the park and you had invited your schoolmates to celebrate? I saw him standing not too far away under the shade of a tree, watching you. I turned around to make sure you were safe and by the time I looked back, he was gone. But I knew he had been there. When you turned sixteen, I received an envelope in the mail with no return address. All the letter contained was a date._

_I didn't think too much about it, which was a big mistake. The date that was written on the letter was the day of my flight to Hong Kong. When I landed, I left the airport to a nearby hotel, where I was told I would meet with an associate. Instead I was driven off by an imposter and dropped off in the middle of nowhere, where that man from long ago told me to stay back or he would kill not only me, but your mother as well if I tried to interfere._

_He took my cell phone, my laptop, everything - for two weeks I went around looking for someone who spoke English or Japanese but out in the country, nobody did. I was stranded for a month in Hong Kong, realizing I had been set up from the start. By the time I flew home, the Ochi's had told me you were gone and that I had been presumed as dead for a long time._

_I didn't know where that man had taken you until a few days ago, when a girl named Yuki showed up at the Ochi house with your new address. That man, Richter, stay away from him. Sorry. I hope you're staying strong._

_Love,_

_Dad'_

"Dad's alive..." I said, standing up joyfully. "He's okay... Thank goodness!"

Instead of celebrating, Subaru kept silent, giving me a hard stare. "Sayumi, you shouldn't be happy about that."

I stopped smiling. "Why not? I've been waiting over two months to know if he's okay and now I get this letter, showing me that he's still alive. And he's even at home."

Shu looked at me, a severe expression on his face as he exchanged glances with an equally serious Subaru. Confused, I questioned them why they were looking me like that until Subaru took the letter from my hands, ripping it up into shreds and tossing the scraps into the water. I watched in desolation as the pieces sank down into the river, along with my high spirits.

"What the hell was that for?" I demanded. "I wanted to keep it!"

"What's wrong with you?" Subaru shot back angrily. "Didn't you notice something about that letter?"

"What?"

"He never once said he would come for you," Subaru pointed out. "Not even once. All he could say was sorry."

"That's a lie. I know he'll come for me," I retorted. "He knows where I am now."

"Then why hasn't he?" Subaru snapped. "If he's so sorry, why would he abandon you here without even bothering to come and take you back home as soon as he found out where you were? He said a few days ago, someone told him where you were. He had an opportunity to come and get you, but he didn't. If he loves you like he says he does, why didn't he act right away?"

"Because," I gulped, "he's waiting for the right time. My dad loves me, he would never just leave me here."

I knew he was right, but I refused to accept that my dad would just leave me hanging like this. There was no way my dad, the person I loved the most in the world, would abandon me, right? Surely, he knew how much danger I was in and would come roaring down the driveway with a squad of police cars behind him... Right?

"Shit!" I screamed, kicking a stone into the river and watching it disturb the tranquility of the water. "Shit... shit... _shit_!"

This couldn't be happening to me... My dad really didn't care if I was being hunted down by hungry vampires, did he? He intended to leave me here. I boiled over in rage, the pain of being betrayed by the one I loved most consuming me from the inside. I tore off the bracelet he had given to me for my birthday, flinging it into the water. Accompanying it shortly were the pearl earrings he had bought for me months ago.

Where would I go now? Who could I trust and who could I not trust? How could I face my father again if I ran away? Should I even run? I was going to die here, wasn't I? There was nobody who could help me, _nobody_…

I wept pitifully by myself for a long time. Subaru and Shu were powerless to do or say anything that could make me feel any better and stood by as I sobbed, cursing my fate and wishing I had never even been born in the first place. Everything seemed to be crashing down around me, crumbling to pieces as I tried to hold myself together. How much of it had been a lie? All of the time my dad and I had spent together, how we lived on even after he and Mom separated – was all of my happiness just in my head? How much of this was due to my foolishness?

"I hate this goddamned place! I wish I never came here! Now I'm going to die and it's all because I was dumb enough to get myself into this mess." I ran a hand through my hair in frustration, standing up and meeting Subaru's eyes. "Why are you so nice to me? If everyone just treated me like dirt maybe I wouldn't have had any hopes of leaving this hellhole."

"You can still run," Subaru said. "If you go now, you can probably make it."

"Don't you see? There's no use," I sighed in exasperation. "I was dead the moment I pulled up to the front gates. Funny thing is, I remember thinking how beautiful the house was. I was so excited to make new friends and start fresh. I was stupid."

Shu nodded his head in agreement. "She's right. There's no use in trying to leave now. All we can do is wait… and see if she pulls through or not."

Subaru balled his hands into fists, completely helpless to do a single thing. After giving me an apologetic look, he walked away, leaving Shu and I alone.

"Shu, I don't want to die. I haven't even fallen in love or gotten married and started a family of my own," I mumbled regretfully, gazing down into my morose reflection. "I'm only eighteen. I would have thought I would be at least seventy when I left, but…"

He sighed, crossing his arms over his chest. "You aren't certain you'll die yet."

"I'm not certain, but I know I will. Maybe you didn't notice, but the dozens of girls before me all died. I'm going to end up among them, in that special glass case Kanato promised me he'd make just for me," I grimly reported, feeling a chill crawl up my spine. "I wish I had more time. I would go out and do all the things I wanted to."

Silence crept in as the sun began to retire for the day, sinking lower and lower in the sky, my shadow growing longer and thinner as the minutes ticked by. I didn't know how long we stood out there, not even speaking, but it was comforting to watch the sunset by the lake. I had always thought I appreciated the smaller things in life, but thinking back now, there was so much time I had wasted, so many things I didn't do when I had the chance. I never accepted the title of prom queen even when I had won, never participated in the annual hot dog eating contest, never went on that date Kengo, the governor's son, had asked me on just weeks ago. I never sky-dived, never had a snowball fight, never ate a whole tub of ice cream in one sitting by myself. Most of all, I never got to fall in love and marry someone who I loved and who loved me for who I was. I had always wanted to start a family of my own, to raise my children in a household where they received undying affection from both of their parents and where they were spoiled absolutely rotten.

My heart was consumed with despair. What had I even accomplished in my lifetime? Had I brought anyone happiness? Did I change the world in some way? I had always wanted to make an impact on this world someway, somehow. I hadn't found the cure to deadly diseases or saved the world from destruction. What a waste of a life…

"I'm going back to the house," I announced, then headed on the forest path back to the estate. He followed shortly after, walking side-by-side with me the whole way there.

"There's still time to do some of the things you've always wanted to," Shu spoke calmly.

I scoffed. "Not really. Everything I want to do I can't do here. I wouldn't want to anyway, even if I could. Taking part of a hot dog eating contest with six vampire brothers wasn't really what I had in plan. We can't have a snowball fight when it's the middle of spring. You guys don't have a tub of ice cream, and even if you did, Kanato would kill me before I could eat it. And falling in love and starting a family takes time. And I don't have any of that and neither do I want to do that here."

He stared at me, in deep thought. "You can't start a family, but you can fall in love."

I laughed. "You're funny, Shu. You're sounding more human than I will ever be. Let's go inside. I'll cook something while I still have hands to do it."

As soon as we got into the house, I headed into the kitchen to cook something up. I found myself thinking more and more about what had happened in the last few days, and about Shu. He had kissed me not once, but twice, and acted like it meant nothing at all. The more I thought about his kiss and his embrace, the more furiously I chopped the carrot on the cutting board, venting out my frustrations through my cooking. I thought I was beginning to understand him, but the more I delved into what I knew and what I had experienced over the time I was here, the more muddled it got. What was with him? Kissing me like it was as simple an interaction as shaking hands – he confused me.

"Are you going to stop?" a voice asked me. "That's hardly edible now."

Ayato was standing beside me, staring down at the smashed remains of what had been a perfectly normal carrot. I had unknowingly reduced it into an inedible mush while I was busy thinking.

"Give this to Raito, he deserves it," I said, scooping it onto a plate and handing it to Ayato. "That bastard."

Ayato was stunned at my anger, but ended up laughing in amusement, taking the mushy gunk out to Raito. I got a new carrot, chopping it evenly and throwing it into the soup. I added in some spices to the stew before allowing it to sit, washing my hands and the tools I used.

_One week, huh… I mind as well make the best out of it._

* * *

><p>"Good luck on your exams, Sayumi-chan," Kanato wished me as I headed into the school building with Shu and Reiji.<p>

"Thank you. You too," I said, forcing a smile.

I hadn't had any additional time to study since I had lost three full days worth of study time, but thankfully I'd already reviewed the content before. Reiji saw me sticking close to Shu and glared at him, gazing down at me with his light red eyes.

"I already spoke with the instructors about your alternate exam," he said, surprisingly calm in spite of his abusive behavior from before. "How is your wrist doing?"

"It's fine, no thanks to you," I replied, though I found it hard to be mean.

"In any case, I'm sure you will excel on this assessment," he commented, unfazed by my harsh remark. "After all, you actually spent time attempting to familiarize yourself with the content, unlike some people who don't bother to concern themselves over their grades. You'll have no difficulty with it."

Shu glanced at him in annoyance, walking on ahead of us into the classroom. The exam session felt brief for each class and like Reiji had predicted, I had no problem whatsoever on any of the content. This was only day one of finals - for each day of this week we would receive small dosages of assessments in each class. After school had ended for the night, I met up with Shu, greeting him as I passed by girls who were fawning over his silent beauty. He wasn't in the greatest of moods, still being upset about Reiji's snide remark.

"How were your tests?" I queried.

"Manageable."

As soon as we joined the others, we learned they wanted to walk around the city for a bit. It was Raito's idea, after all - according to Ayato, Raito had grown sick and tired of being held prisoner at the estate and wanted to go out and have some fun in the city for an hour or two. I almost laughed at the mention of Raito feeling as if he were 'being held prisoner in the house' - he had no idea what being held captive was like.

"Don't even try to run," Reiji said to me sternly.

I ignored him and followed after the others, feeling relieved I finally had an opportunity to go out into the city for the first time in over a month. Sticking my hands into my pockets, I pulled my scarf up to cover my cold lips. In spite of it being spring, it felt like winter. The air was frigid and when you breathed out, a small cloud of vapor would form in front of you. The rush and the lights of the city were spectacular. I hadn't been out in so long that even doing something as simple as walking on the sidewalk, watching cars zip right by, felt special.

If I only have a few days left to figure out whether I'm going to die or not, I might as well enjoy something like this.

We reached the main streets where all of the shops and restaurants were, Raito leading the way as we strolled aimlessly around, gazing into shop windows and restaurants. Finally, Raito found somewhere he wanted to be and led us all inside. The doors we entered guided us right into a shopping mall. Raito wandered off alone to look for clothes, though the first place he went to was a women's lingerie store, where we saw him flirting with the cashier lady. I could literally hear everyone's eyes rolling as we watched Raito from where we were standing.

"Sayumi-chan, let's go to the toy store," Kanato requested. "It's right by the candy shop, so we can go there right after."

"Uh, okay then." I really didn't have any choice but to comply and accompanied Kanato to wherever the toy store was. The four others, Subaru, Reiji, Shu, and Ayato, followed after us, obviously having no interest in toys or candy. Kanato held my hand, leading me into a shop with a huge teddy bear displayed in the window, gasping in excitement when he saw all of the toys and stuffed animals inside. He ran off, Ayato moving to stand next to me with his arms folded casually behind his head.

"What a freak," he grumbled as he watched Kanato pick up a cat plushie, squeezing it before putting it back on the shelf. Everyone else in the store was either a parent or a toddler. Kanato was the only teenager in the store and he was starting to get strange stares by the lady at the counter and parents, who moved their kids away for him.

Feeling bad, I decided to join him by the plush aisle, watching him pick each one off the shelf, examine it, squish it, then put it back. He handed Teddy to me as he spent minutes doing the same thing until he found something he was satisfied with - a stuffed white rabbit with a bright pink nose. Letting out a childish chuckle, he wandered off to Reiji, begging him to buy it. Reiji would not give him any money and neither would Shu. I realized he was starting to cry and get upset so I sighed, taking a few bills out of my own wallet and giving it to him.

He eagerly snatched it from my hands and went to hand the money over to the lady at the counter, who was clearly weirded out by them. We left the store, Kanato happily clinging onto his new friend.

"Thank you, Sayumi-chan," he spoke. "You're the best."

"You're welcome."

In spite of all the times he has tried to kill me, he was surprisingly cute when he smiled like that. Maybe if he acted like this more often, I wouldn't be as scared of him.

We entered the candy store right after. Kanato filled up a bag with all kinds of sweets while the others just stood around again doing nothing. It was a bit embarrassing to have them standing there so I urged them to find something for themselves and I would pay for it. After all, I had $10,000 in cash that I doubted I really would use anyway. The brothers separated in search of something they wanted, giving me the luxury of finally doing something without being watched.

From the wide assortment of colorful candies, I put a little of everything I liked into the bag. Gummy worms, gummy bears, m&m's, mini jaw breakers, fruit rings - I dropped them all into my bag and when I was done I looked around for the others. Shu was staring at the lollipops, Reiji was examining a box of white chocolate, Kanato was still filling up his bag, Subaru was looking at the jellybean jars, and Ayato was fighting with a kid about who had gotten to the gumballs first. Ayato was ready aggravating the boy, who wouldn't give up and even stood up fearlessly to the much taller and older kid, claiming he had been the first one to lay his hands on the gumball scooper.

"Ayato, what's the big commotion about?" I asked, approaching him. "Are you really picking a fight with a kid?"

"I'm not picking the fight, he is!" Ayato retorted. "This punk says he got here first when it was obviously me."

"That doesn't matter. He's a kid, Ayato. Stop picking on him," I said, smacking his hand when he tried to grab the scooper. "What did I tell you?"

"_Ow_! What the heck?" He flinched, wIthdrawing his hand.

"Sorry about Ayato being so mean. Go ahead and take some candy," I apologized gently to the boy, who seemed mesmerized.

"Thank you," the kid said, beaming widely at me. "Hey, did anyone ever tell you that you're really pretty? How old are you? I'm eleven."

I laughed. "Thank you. I'm eighteen, I'm much too old for you."

"Maybe," he said, then proceeded to scoop gumballs into his bag. "Hey, you bully."

Ayato glared at him. "What?"

"You should listen to that pretty girlfriend of yours more," he suggested, then shot me one last beam. "Thank you!"

I giggled. "No problem!"

"She's not my girlfriend you little-" Ayato grumbled to himself as the kid wandered off, ignoring him. "Hey, Sayumi, I'm not letting you off with that. That kid had it coming for him when he challenged Yours Truly."

That was the first time he used my given name rather than 'girl', 'you', or 'human'.

"You're horrible," I shot back. "Picking on little kids like that. You should be ashamed of yourself. Why can't you be nice for once?"

Storming off, I found myself drifting off towards Shu, who was in the midst of picking what color scheme of lollipop that he wanted. Even while doing something as simple as choosing what flavor of lollipop he wanted, Shu still retained his cool, princely appearance. I couldn't help but smile when he glanced over at me, picking out a blue lollipop.

"I knew you were going to pick that one," I stated. "The other ones didn't seem like something you would eat."

"So this one seemed like something I would want?"

"You could say that," I said. "The blue suits you best. It matches with your eyes."

He chuckled, for the first time showing signs of genuine happiness. Though it was only for a mere instant, I felt my heart skip a beat as he smiled gently down at me. "You're strange."

"You say that all the time."

The two of us regrouped with the others by the counter. It was terrifyingly expensive but it was worth it. Kanato was so happy afterwards. Even Reiji and Subaru seemed to be pleased with what they had. Ayato was noisily chewing on the gum he had picked out earlier, his arm casually around my shoulders (more like he was using me as an armrest). Shu had his lollipop in his mouth, staring off into space with a distant look in his eyes again. I munched on my gummy bears, rushing off ahead as soon as I saw my favorite clothing store.

"Welcome!" the girl inside cheerfully greeted me. She nearly had a heart attack when she saw how many boys I had following after me and smiled. "Well, I guess people are really getting into the open relationship thing these days! You scored yourself some cute boys! Especially the one with the glasses."

I nearly choked. "N-no, you've got it all wrong! It's nothing like that!"

"I'm sorry. Are they your brothers?"

"No."

"Cousins?"

"No."

"Friends?"

"Not really."

"Then they're your boyfriends, right? How sweet, I wonder if they fight with each other a lot," she giggled, rushing me inside.

I sighed, though I couldn't help but laugh. "You have no idea..."


	11. Envy

Author's Note: Yay chapter 11! I had a lot of fun writing this chapter and the previous one LOL. I'm estimating this story to end around chapter 18? Anyway, it's about to get really intense. I wrote up to chapter 15 already and well I have a lot in store. Enjoy~ Don't forget to leave your thoughts it really gives me a confidence boost that people actually enjoy my crappy writing!

* * *

><p>In the middle of my shopping, the girl came up to me with a blinding, bright grin on her face. "There's a bra and panties sale going on! Buy two bras, get a pair of panties free! Why don't you go look?"<p>

"Um, I think I have enou-"

"Don't be shy! Right this way!"

I was quickly overpowered by her excitement and pushed towards the bra and undies section, the five boys unconsciously following me there. Resisting the girl was useless and only made her want to convince me even more to take part in their sale. She looked at my chest before pulling up a size 36-B cup, black, sexy lace bra and an equally seductive red one.

"Alright! Who's her number one boy here?" she inquired, ignoring the fact that customers were staring at us. "You're going to come with her to the dressing room.

_Oh god, oh god, oh god... Just kill me!_

"Yours Truly is her one and only," Ayato declared, stepping forward.

"_No_!" I shouted. "I mean, I can try it on by myself."

"Stop being so shy!" she cried. "These are your boyfriends, right? They have a right to be there when you decide on what to get."

She turned towards Subaru. "Let me guess - it's you, isn't it?"

"_Huh_?" When Subaru saw her dangling the sexy lingerie in front of him, he instantly went red in the face, running off before anyone else could respond. She shrugged and went on to guess the next person.

"It can't be you, you look too young," she said to Kanato. "Mr. Glasses, are you perhaps this young lady's number one boyfriend?"

"What?" Reiji asked in confusion.

Ayato stepped forward. "Like I said, lady, it's me! I'm the one you're looking for!"

"No." He was startled as she walked right past him towards Shu, who was spacing out while this was taking place. She shoved the two bras toward him, beaming widely. "You! It's got to be you! Go with your girlfriend to the changing room! Make her try on the bras and if you two like it, buy it! I'll even give you two a special deal and give you three free panties just because I like you."

"_**What**_?!" I screamed in unison with the other brothers. Shu was shocked, forced to hold onto the two bras as the energetic, chipper woman ushered us to the dressing room. I was shoved into one, Shu waiting outside upon the girl's strict instructions.

_There's no way I'm doing this._

"Shu, is she gone?" I asked. "I'm not doing this. I don't care what she says."

The voice that responded to me definitely wasn't Shu. "I'm standing right here! Make sure you try both of them on and show your boyfriend here!"

"Please, do I have to?" I wailed dreadfully.

_I have no choice, do I?_

I tried the black one on first, taking a deep breath as I opened the door. Shu looked at me for a moment before turning away in disinterest.

"Looks great to me!" the girl acclaimed. "But maybe he'll like the red one better."

_He didn't have a reaction at all... Not that I care._

I changed into the red one, letting out a heavy sigh before opening the door. I gently brushed the hair from my shoulders as Shu stared blankly down at my body. I felt my heart sink, moving to close the door. But before I could, Shu opened it back up again, smiling at me.

"I like this one," he commented. "It matches your eyes."

I found myself looking down in embarrassment. "Shu..."

"Great!" the lady yelled. "I'll get you two red bras and three matching panties! Come to the counter once you get changed!"

She ran off, leaving the two of us alone. Feeling suddenly bashful, I avoided his eyes. "Um, well, I'll get changed then."

He replied softly. "Yeah."

As I was putting on my clothes, I found myself gazing at my own reflection, thinking deeply about what Shu had said to me earlier about doing the thing I wanted to most before my week ran out - fall in love. When he had first mentioned it, I had laughed it off like it was nothing, but... I thought how seeing him with a genuine smile had made my heart flutter and about how much I wanted to be able to make him happy. I recalled the two times he had kissed me, when he had drank my blood, when we watched the sunrise together, that warmth and safety I felt when he held me in his arms. I knew it meant nothing to him, but to me, it did.

_I didn't love him, did I?_

When it came time to check out, I brought everything I wanted to purchase up to the front counter, where the girl from earlier was waiting patiently for me, a bright smile on her face. However, before I could even take out my wallet, someone stood at my side, sliding their credit card across the counter. To my surprise, it was Reiji who was standing next to me, calmly requesting that all charges be made to his bank account. The girl, astonished at first, winked at me before nodding her head obediently.

"Thanks, Reiji," I said as soon as we left the store.

He merely pushed his glasses up, claiming he was repaying me for buying him something from the candy store, which didn't really make sense since the cost of his box of chocolates and that of my clothes could hardly be compared. More importantly, it seemed like he was unusually kind to me, and out of the blue, too. After treating me so cruelly for so long it was hard to believe he was showing me some compassion, though very little and in a strange way.

_Is he trying to make up for locking me up and drugging me? Because buying me things doesn't make it any better._

"That's not fair at all," Kanato remarked in annoyance and separated Reiji and I. "Reiji didn't buy anything for me, but he bought something for you!"

Ayato scoffed. "Because buying another dumb toy for you would just be a waste of money."

Kanato glared at him, indignant. "It is _not_!"

"Be quiet, will you?" Shu demanded, sighing heavily as the two argued with one another. "Stop acting like children."

"Stop bossing me around, stupid," Ayato rebuked. I smacked him on the shoulder, watching in satisfaction as he glowered at me, shutting up.

"Let's grab something to eat," I announced. "I hope they have American food here."

"Since when are you the leader around here? I don't have to listen to you," Ayato challenged, obviously still worked up about me hitting him in the arm. "Did you forget your place?"

"Shut the hell up. I'm sick and tired of your crap. You're annoying," I snapped. "Stop thinking you're better than everyone else. You're _not_. And I'm not sorry for saying this, either."

Everyone stared at me in shock as I walked off ahead in the direction of the food court. I lined up for a hamburger and some fries, surprised to see that all five of them still followed me after I snapped back at Ayato, who looked so embarrassed and upset that he was red in the face.

When it was my turn to order, the young man at the register greeted me enthusiastically, shooting me a charming smile. "How can I help a pretty girl like you?" he asked flirtatiously.

Giggling, I listed what I wanted, watching as he typed it in with ease.

"I haven't seen you around here before," he said as soon as I paid for the food. "Do you go that school near by?"

"Actually yes, I'm a new student there," I confessed.

"Really? I thought the uniform looked familiar," he said. "I'm Takashi, by the way. And might I get your name, cutie?"

I laughed. "Nice to meet you, Takashi. I'm Sayumi."

"Pretty name for a pretty girl."

I felt someone wrap an arm around my waist and turned in disbelief. I was preparing to scold Ayato when I realized it was Shu who was standing there and zipped my mouth shut.

_What the?!_

Takashi was taken aback. "Oh, you have a boyfriend?"

"No-"

"What's the hold up, my dear Sayumi-chan?" a familiar voice rang out, a pair of arms sneaking around my body from behind. "Don't make us worry about you, our sweet little princess."

Of all the times to show up, Raito had chosen the worst. The cute guy at the counter was not only bewildered by the two boys holding me, but absolutely flabbergasted when he noticed the four others waiting for me not too far away. He quickly handed me a ticket and nervously called the next person in line, forcing us to leave. As soon as Shu and Raito let go of me, I glared daggers at them both.

"What the hell was that about?" I interrogated. "You freaked the guy out! And he was cute, too."

"I couldn't just stand around and let a nobody sweep our little princess off her feet, could I? Surely, you'd be taken away from us," Raito responded in a sing-song tone.

"Don't forget you're ours," Kanato reminded me. "Nobody else can take you."

"He's not even that good-looking. I'm dozens of times more handsome than that human," Ayato added, clearly envious about the fact I was attracted to Takashi. I mean, who wouldn't be? He was tall, slightly tanned, and with a nice, muscular build and a charming smile. Any girl would fall for a guy like that. Even now girls were fawning over him at the cash register.

"Right, I forgot, I belong to you guys," I said as sarcastically as I possibly could. They didn't seem to understand my sarcasm at all and thought I was being serious, nodding their heads in satisfaction.

Sighing, I rolled my eyes, patiently waiting for my number to be called. When it did, Raito offered (more like demanded) to pick up my order for me, skipping off to confront Takashi. We watched as Raito leaned over to whisper something to him, that signature smirk on his lips as he walked away, Takashi appearing struck by fear by whatever he had been told. Upon his return, Raito held the bag out to me, smiling innocently.

Irritated, I grabbed the bag from him and walked off to purposely find a small table to sit at. As soon as I sat down, Ayato took the seat across from me, Kanato pulled a chair up, and so did Raito. Subaru, Shu, and Reiji sat at the table next to us, leaving me stranded with the triplets.

"Why don't you go buy yourselves something to eat?" I inquired, annoyed that they were just sitting there, staring at me. "Do you want money? I have it."

"I feel full just watching you eat, Sayumi-chan," Raito purred, leaning over towards me. "I could just kiss you right now."

I stopped him with a hand to his face, pushing him back from me and shoving a french fry into his mouth to shut him up. Ayato wasn't hungry and Kanato was too busy eating all that candy I had bought to care about anything else. Shu was practically asleep on his chair while Reiji and Subaru showed no indications of being hungry at all.

When a girl passed by carrying a plate of takoyaki, Ayato went berserk, suddenly stranding up out of his chair and looking around the food court frantically. "Where'd she get that?!"

"Calm down," I scolded. "The takoyaki stand can't be too far."

I handed him a few bills and waved him off. A big grin was plastered on his face when he returned with two servings of takoyaki. I knew he was a vampire and that he was far over his head, seeing him eating with such a content expression made me forget he was supposed to be an enemy of mine. If he were like this more often, perhaps I would like him a lot more, maybe even to the point where I could call him a friend.

"Our Sayumi-chan is sweeter than any candy there is, isn't she?" Raito sighed, gazing at me. "Will you let me have a sample of your rich blood once more?"

I scoffed. "No. Don't bother asking."

"Naughty girl, resisting me like that." I shoved three french fries into his open mouth to silence him and glanced over at Kanato, who was cheerfully eating his candies and talking to Teddy and his new friend, the white rabbit with the bright pink nose. Though Kanato was my height and only a year younger than I was, he resembled a child. It was hard to believe he had attempted to butcher me with a steak knife and threatened to make me like one his freak dolls.

Raito I still had found no trait likeable at all, except perhaps the fact he wasn't as cruel as Reiji was. Besides that, he was truly difficult to even remotely like. It was no exaggeration, either. He had called me degrading names, forcefully bit me when I first came here, and touched me when I clearly disliked him having his hands on me.

I glanced over at the table beside us. I liked Subaru a lot more than everyone else. He was harsh and difficult to understand but overall, he had a kind heart and kind intentions. Unlike the others, I viewed him as a friend rather than a foe. He wasn't abusive nor was he demeaning in any way, though he was still quite an enigma to me. There wasn't very much I knew about him besides the fact he was the very youngest of the brothers and the only one without a full-blood brother. He didn't reveal much about himself and whatever I did know I learned from the other brothers.

Reiji - now him, I could not determine whether I despised him or pitied him. Out of all six brothers, he was by far the cruelest one to me. He hated Shu and seeing me with Shu prompted his jealous rage to surface. Reiji was obsessed with the intent to cause his brother suffering and went out of his way to deride him and criticize him in front of everyone. He was prone to violent outbursts, seeing as he would snap whenever I fought back or defend Shu. He even went so far as to drug me and lock me up, even twisting my wrist when I tried to run. In spite of this, as much as I was revolted by him, I pitied him as well. How could someone hate another so much to the point he would do anything to hurt him? He was truly pitiful, and I think he knew I thought of him that way.

Shu, the center of Reiji's belittling, was someone I desired to understand and to bring happiness to. The first day I had stepped into the house, I had become transfixed by his beautiful blue eyes, a vast, immutable ocean whose depths concealed his deep regrets and sadness. At first, I had found his apathy difficult to understand but as time gradually passed, I realized he was only that way because he was bearing a guilt far beyond my understanding. It was only today when I truly understood what kind of burdens had been haunting him his entire life. It just made me feel even more inclined to be there for him, to remind him that something called happiness still existed in the world and that he deserved it.

Raito noticed me looking at Shu and raised a suspicious brow. "Hm? Who are you looking over at?"

"Nobody." I focused on finishing my hamburger and tried to discard my deep thoughts. Raito glanced back at Shu, a knowing smirk playing on his lips as he chuckled lightly to himself.

After I had finished eating, the seven of us made our way to the parking structure of the mall, where the driver would pick us all up to take us home. Dread consumed me when I realized this was probably the only time I would be able to go out like this. I had had some kind of fun for the first time in over a month in the city, my comfort zone. Now, we would be returning back to that damned house, which had become a prison to me, restricting me not only from freedom and peace of mind, but also happiness.

I gazed longingly back in through the sliding doors, watching as shoppers walked back and forth, carefree smiles on their faces as they spent time with their loved ones, not a worry on their mind. I had temporarily forgotten about what kind of predicament I had gotten myself into, having been wrapped up in the excitement of being in the outside world, but standing there in the quiet parking lot, I remembered everything I had found out this afternoon.

My dad had promised me to a man by the name of Richter before I was even born and abandoned me to let me suffer in a house full of vampires. Not only had I been their prey, but I had also been subjected to harsh treatment and had nearly been killed several times. The fact that my life had been a big, sick lie was not the sole issue at hand - the fact that I had a week to live was another pressing issue. The probability of me surviving the evolution into a vampire was not very high, perhaps even nonexistent.

_I can't believe this is really happening..._

As I stood there with the others, someone bumped into me, jerking me out of my thoughts. A little girl had crashed into me by accident, her mother and father apologizing profusely to me on her behalf.

"It's fine!" I assured them, smiling down at the little girl. "Just be careful next time, okay? I don't want you to get hurt."

"Okay!" she nodded her head energetically.

I watched as her parents tugged her away, bowing their heads kindly to me as they wandered off. "What a nice family..."

"Is that the kind of family you want?" Shu inquired.

I nodded my head. "They look happy together."

"A happy family, huh?" Shu mumbled, gazing off in the distance. "Those don't really exist, do they?"

"They do," I defended. "They do exist."

"Says the girl who was abandoned by her father," he replied.

"I _was_ happy!" I claimed. "My dad and mom separated but I was still happy. I wanna try to be happy now, but it's kind of hard... Well, I've been spoiled all my life I guess. I've decided to try to make others happy with the time I have left."

As cliché as it sounded, I was being honest. I had lived happily ever since I was born. Most didn't get to enjoy life as well as I had. Ever since I was young, I had been spoiled rotten by my mom and dad and grew up knowing nothing but joy. Now, it was about time that I gave back by bringing happiness to others, since there was nothing I could do or had done to change the world. If I couldn't change my world, then I might as well try to change the worlds of others, namely that of Shu's. He deserved to know what it felt like to be happy.

"A week left and you still have the time to worry about others?" Shu asked.

"Yeah, it's kinda cheesy right? Besides falling in love, I wanna bring somebody happiness," I said. "I want to make you happy, even if just a little."

He gave me an inquisitive stare. "Me?"

_What am I even saying?!_ I was in a mental state of distress.

"Yeah," I confessed, feeling suddenly bashful.

He didn't have much time to react, simply standing there in surprise as the car pulled up in front of us. I breathed a sigh of relief, rushing to get into the vehicle. When we returned to the front gates, an unexpected sight greeted us. There was a man standing in the shadows of the property, revealing himself as soon as I had set my sights upon him. It was a man with dark green hair and striking, blood red eyes - it was that man who had picked me up from my house and brought me to the house at the very beginning.

The boys seemed to recognize him, though none seemed very thrilled to see him.

"It's been a while, Uncle," Ayato said, hostility glinting in his eyes.

_Uncle?_


	12. Feelings

Author's Note: Yay chapter 12! I'm surprised that I've written so much in a short amount of time. I'm in the process of planning the ending of this fanfic and I have a lot of crazy things in mind! Look forward to the ending within a few more chapters~

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><p>"What do you want?" Subaru demanded in hostility, the atmosphere thickening as he glared dangerously at the man. However, he was unfazed, his eyes never leaving me even for a moment. Feeling uncomfortable under hid intent gaze, I unconsciously moved myself between Shu and Reiji, who seemed the least affected by this man's appearance.<p>

"Now that's hardly how you should greet me after such a long time," the man scolded, though he lacked any emotions. "Subaru, you're as reckless as ever."

"Shut up, bastard," he retaliated with aggravation. "Tell me - what are you doing here?"

The man smiled, taking a few steps forward past Raito, who was agitated by their uncle as well. "I'm just here for a visit. I thought I'd check up on the girl. It seems like she's grown already."

He approached me, staring down at me, his severe features highlighted by the moonlight. He reached a hand out to touch me but before he could, Reiji seized hold of his wrist, moving to protect me from him. The man met Reiji's cold yet composed stare, smiling to himself as he lowered his hand.

"I think you can check up on her without touching her," Reiji responded calmly.

"Oh? There's ice in those eyes of yours, Reiji," the man stated, amused by Reiji's reaction. It had only been a minute and I was already beginning to dislike the man. "Are you that fond of the girl? I've never seen you this upset."

"Please," Reiji replied, pushing his glasses up, "don't be mistaken."

"Just tell us what the hell you're really here about," Ayato demanded. "I don't tolerate loitering around here."

The man was unaffected by his vehemence. "Like I said earlier, I'm here to see the girl. I'm surprised she's still alive and made it this far."

"Of course," Kanato spoke, tilting his head to the right. "Our Sayumi-chan is different from the others, isn't she?"

"She's a pain in the ass, that's what she is," Ayato remarked.

_Me, a pain in the ass?! Are you talking about yourself?_

The green-haired man smirked smugly at me. "You're just as I predicted you would be like. Now it's only a matter of days until you become one of us. In five days you will transform. That is, if your body survives the change."

Not knowing how to reply, I kept my mouth shut, unable to tear my eyes away from him. Something about the way he looked at and spoke to me gave me the chills. My gut was telling me he was bad news. Judging from the unsettled disposition of all six of the brothers, it was crystal clear he didn't belong here. Out of all of them, Subaru, Raito, and Ayato were the most indignant, ordering him to leave with their frightening hostility.

"Beautiful…" the man mumbled, his eyes fixed upon me. "If you don't survive, it would be a shame. I haven't seen someone quite as exquisitely beautiful as you in a while."

"I think that's enough," Reiji declared. "Sayumi, let's go inside."

Reiji took me by the hand, leading me away from the scene before I or anyone else could say anything further. As we reached the front doors of the house, I glanced over at his agitated profile and parted my lips to speak.

"Who is he?"

Reiji shut the door after us, still grasping onto my hand. "Our Uncle, Richter. He's the brother of Karlheinz."

My eyes widened at the mention of that name. "You mean that your dad is the politician, Karlheinz?"

"Yes."

"Richter…"

Richter - the name of the man my father had promised me to. He had been the driver who had brought me here on the very first day and had left before I could thank him. He really had been monitoring me all these years, hadn't he? If he had the nerve to show up uninvited at my birthday party, how many times had I passed by him on the street without even knowing? He had known where I was living. What if he had been watching me then, too?

"Are you afraid of him?" Reiji asked. I quietly nodded my head, surprised when he suddenly embraced me, encompassing me in warmth. His gorgeous red eyes gazed down at me, seeming as if they were consuming me. "He won't lay a hand on you. I'll make sure of it. Nobody can touch what rightfully belongs to me."

"What's yours?" I scoffed, pushing him off of me. "I am not an object. I don't belong to anyone, so stop acting like you own me."

Reiji was stunned at my blatant rejection, but it only seemed to aggravate him rather than scare him away. "Don't forget your place. You don't have the right to resist."

He grabbed me by the collar of my shirt, throwing me down onto the couch and climbing over me, his larger body completely covering my own as he glared hatefully down at me. I succeeded in shoving him away once before he seized my wrists, pinning me down and watching as I struggled to free myself from his death grip.

"Bastard, get the hell off of me!" I ordered.

"Shut up," he snapped, sinking his fangs into my shoulder. He drew out as much blood as he wanted before running his tongue over the back of my neck, embedding his sharp teeth into my vulnerable skin, ignoring my cries of pain and protest.

When he finally pulled away, he wiped the blood from his chin and smiled down at me. "You belong to me and nobody else. Nobody is allowed to drink your blood but me. Especially not that worthless bastard."

Before I could respond, Reiji was suddenly yanked off of me, landing with a hard thud on the cold, hard ground. To my relief, it was Shu who had come to my aid. Smiling, I didn't hesitate and immediately went over to him, wrapping my arms around his torso.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

"I am now," I confessed, watching as Reiji picked himself up from the floor.

"You're choosing him over me?" he demanded. "That good-for-nothing?"

I ignored him, walking away with Shu.

"Huh?" I muttered as Shu slipped his hand into mine. "Shu...?"

"You should stay in my room tonight," he said. "In case he decides he isn't done yet."

"But..." There was no room for protest as he guided me into his bedroom. I hadn't been here since that one night where I had been assaulted by Reiji and hunted down by Kanato. His room had been a safety zone then and it was a safety zone now. I plopped down onto a chair, my hand touching the two stinging bite marks on Reiji had given me. I winced in pain when my fingers came into contact with the sensitive, burning skin.

Shu noticed my agony, his eyes softening apologetically. "Sorry. If I had come sooner..."

I shook my head. "It's okay." Things got quiet then, but only for an instant. "Hey, Shu. It isn't really my place to ask, but... what's with you and Reiji?"

"You're persistent, aren't you?" he asked, more in amusement than annoyance. Sighing. he seated himself on the arm of the chair I was on, crossing his arms and gazing down at me. "Well, since you really want to know, I guess there is no avoiding it."

From there, Shu began to tell me the history of his relationship with his younger brother Reiji. Literally from the day he was born. Shu had been given heavy expectations from his mother. Reiji was only a year younger than him, yet the treatment they received from their mother was drastically different. Because he was the oldest, he received much more attention from his mom and was doted on constantly while Reiji had practically been neglected, thrown under the bus in spite of all of his heartfelt attempts to capture their mother's affection.

While Shu spent much of his time playing, Reiji had utilized his time to study. He was a genius from the beginning, yet his mother still failed to shower him with the attention he desired. Because Shu was the apple of their mother's eye, Reiji became jealous of him. He had put in all his effort to be the best son he could, however it had all been in vain. At last, after years of enduring the torture, Reiji had had enough and killed her.

I was mortified by the fact Reiji had murdered his own mother. Shu had told me killing an enemy was a sign of a vampire having grown up, but it still gave me the chills no matter how hard I tried to shake it off. If Reiji was capable of killing his mother with his own hands, he was more than able to do the same to me or anyone else. Another terrifying thought pierced my body - had Shu killed someone before?

Sensing my precocious stare, he smiled at me. "If you're wondering if I've killed anyone like that, I haven't. I won't kill someone unless I have to."

"So... have you killed anyone before?" I asked in reproach.

He didn't answer.

He stretched himself out on the couch, folding his arms beneath his head and closing his eyes. "Sleep on the bed if you want. Unless you like being on a chair for the entire night."

"No thanks," I said and moved towards his bed. "Are you sure you'll be fine on the couch? I can sleep there instead."

He opened one of his eyes, smirking teasingly at me. "You'd probably roll off in the middle of the night and wake me up from my sleep. Forget it."

_I'm clumsy but not that clumsy! Sheesh..._

Knowing he wouldn't change his mind, I climbed into his bed, sinking into his foamy mattress and lying my head down against his soft pillow. I pulled the blankets up to cover myself, shutting my eyes and shifting into a comfortable position. Everything smelled sweet like Shu did. Wrapped up in his scent, I felt strangely at ease, allowing myself to peacefully drift off into an undisturbed slumber.

"Ugh…"

My eyes fluttered open and an unfamiliar ceiling came into my line of vision. It only took me a few seconds to register that I hadn't slept in my own room the previous night, having taken refuge in Shu's room upon his suggestion. Yesterday, I had had the best rest I've gotten in ages. I didn't have to be afraid that someone would break into my room in the middle of the night and drink my blood or even worse, kill me when I least expected it. Even though I had my dagger on my person at all times, it provided little comfort for me when I was asleep, completely oblivious and vulnerable to the world around me. When I was unconscious, I was as good as dead. Thankfully, though, because I was always alert and on my toes, I had survived this far.

_Daichi would be proud. He always teased me for being so tough but if he knew how much my 'arrogance' got me, he would be proud of me, for sure._

Rolling onto my side, I came face-to-chest with Shu, who had been there the whole entire time, his arms encasing me in a tight, warm embrace. I was so shocked that I just lied there frozen for an instant before sneaking a glimpse at his sleeping face, which was more beautiful and peaceful than I had ever seen him. His long lashes rested gently on the top of his cheekbones, his sleek, golden locks of hair falling across his serene features. I admired his sculpted jaw line, the way he took in shallow breaths through his slightly parted lips. He appeared almost child-like, innocent even, yet at the same time I found him to be more breathtaking than anyone I had ever seen in my life.

My hand unconsciously moved to touch his porcelain skin, gingerly running my fingers over his smooth cheek. Making care not to rouse him from his slumber, I brushed the hair from his eyes, the tips of his long lashes tickling the palm of my hand as I withdrew. I felt his arm shift from my waist as he grabbed my wrist, surprising me when he opened his beautiful sea blue eyes to gaze at me.

"Did I wake you up?" I asked apologetically. "I'm sorry."

"No. I was awake the whole time."

"Seriously? I thought you were asleep," I mumbled, feeling suddenly embarrassed. He must have known I was staring at him, because a smile slowly etched itself across his lips. "What are you doing here in the bed with me anyway? Weren't you supposed to be asleep on the couch?!"

"I got bored lying there, so I came here," he replied. "Besides, you were the one who called for me in your sleep and said you were cold."

Mortified, I felt heat rush into my cheeks. "I did that? Really?"

"No. I just said that to see how you would react," he admitted, clearly amused with how flustered I had gotten.

_That bastard…_

"Anyway, why I'm here is beside the point. You have some nerve don't you, watching me and touching me while I sleep," he remarked. "I'd think you were taking advantage of me."

"What?" I exclaimed rattled by his sudden teasing. "You're wrong! That was, uh, I was just…"

He merely smiled, leaning in close and breathing hot air onto my ear. I cried out in surprise, an involuntary shudder running down my spine. I hurriedly shoved him away and climbed out of bed, ignoring his laughter as I left the room.

"Sayumi-chan," Kanato called, entering the kitchen while I was preparing lunch for myself and Ayato. "What smells so good?"

"I'm making takoyaki," I answered. "Since this guy here begged me to."

Ayato, who was sitting on the kitchen counter waiting for me to finish, glared arrogantly at his brother. "Get out of here. It's not for you."

"Hey," I scolded him. "Don't be an asshole. Kanato, I'll save you some too, if you want."

Kanato tilted his head to the side, smiling. "No, it's fine. I want to watch you, though."

"_Uh_… okay."

Ayato unwillingly allowed him to stay, embarrassed that I had rebuked him in front of his brother. The two keenly observed me as I prepared the food, the smell permeating throughout the kitchen as I toiled endlessly. At last, when I had finished, I handed one to Ayato. He instantly took a bite out of it, a satisfied grin spreading across his face as he eagerly took the plate from my hands, digging in.

"Well it seems like you like it," I commented, swelling up in pride. "I am a great cook after all, aren't I?"

"Mhm. Whatever," he said, his cheeks full of food. "I still can make it better than you can."

"Says the guy who was begging me to make some." I rolled my eyes and proceeded to rinse the dishes. Kanato peered over my shoulder the whole time, my back colliding with his chest when I stepped away from the sink. "Sorry, Kanato."

He smiled at me, his purple eyes locking with mine at a close range. "I'll forgive you if you would give me a kiss," he requested. "I would like just one. Either that, or a taste of your sweet blood. If you would give you me one of those, I will forgive you, Sayumi-chan."

"Um... a kiss?" I asked, feeling a heavy sense of dread wash over me.

Kanato nodded. "I can kiss you myself if you prefer that."

Not knowing what the best response to the situation would be, I simply stood there as he leaned over me, his lips gently brushing against mine before. He then withdrew, a content expression on his face as he took his leave. Ayato was too busy finishing his food to care about how shocked I was about what just happened, stuffing his face and smiling childishly to himself.

_Okay, that was weird. I guess it was harmless, though._

I threw off my apron and roamed into the living room, where Raito was lounging about on the sofa, seeming to be asleep. I relaxed my tense shoulders, sneaking past him in hopes he wouldn't wake up. How naive of me. In fact, he was simply resting his eyes because in the next moment he came after me. snatching me before I could run and burying his head into my shoulder from behind, his arms hugging me securely about the waist.

"Perfect timing, princess, I was just thinking about you," he sang as I struggled to get his arms off of me. "You've been on my mind a lot lately, you know. I can't help but dream about you all the time. After having a taste of your blood once, I'd like another sip."

"Sorry but no," I stated as he moved my hair aside, noticing the puncture wounds still there on the back of my neck and on my shoulder.

"Oh?" he seemed surprised and smelled my hair, a smile spreading across his lips. "You smell like Shu. Naughty girl, were you having fun with him without inviting me?"

I discovered that his insinuation caused me to blush, pushing him away and glaring at him. "It was nothing of the sort. Now get lost."

He cocked his head slightly to the left, his hands on his hips as he stared almost knowingly at me. "I was hoping you would fall for me first," he sighed, "but I guess just this once there's an exception. What is it about him? Is it his eyes?"

He approached me, tilting my chin up and grazing his thumb across my bottom lip. "What can I say? He's a lucky guy," he spoke. "He better make sure he has his eye on you or I'll take you away from him."

"Don't count on it."

He laughed after I swatted his hand away, allowing me to leave unharmed. Letting out a sigh of relief, I was surprised to find that Kanato was sitting on the foot of the steps, waiting for me. When I drew near, he held up the white rabbit I had bought him the night before, except it was much different than how it had originally been. Kanato had modified it greatly overnight, covering its left eye with an eye patch and adorning it in a pink and white doll-like dress. As I examined her modifications with my own eyes, he stood up, smiling at me.

"It's for you, Sayumi-chan," he said in an amiable fashion. "Do you like it?"

"I do. Did you make this yourself?" I inquired cautiously.

He inclined his head. "Yes. What do you think?"

"Um, it's very..." I paused, turning the rabbit face-up and beamed at him. "It's very intricate and cute. I like it a lot."

"I'm glad you do. Please keep it," he requested. "It's a token that shows you belong to me."

_Shit._

I put on my best smile, nodding my head gratefully as I passed him, heading into my bedroom where I placed the rabbit in the chair and began a full-blown investigation on it.

_You better not have hidden a camera in here, little boy, or else..._

After thoroughly checking it through, I found that it was a completely harmless gift besides the fact he intended it to be a representation of my belonging to him. It was in my best interest that I accepted had gift, anyway, since he was quite prone to snap upon even the tiniest hindrances. If I had rejected his present back there, he would have started crying, then possibly try to strangle me to death for not taking it.

It was kind of nice for him to make something like this for me, in its own strange way. I left the bunny sitting on the chair and rummaged through my things for my video camera, which I positioned onto the bedside table and hit the record button.

"I haven't recorded in a while, but since I practically have four days left to live I'll summarize what's going to happen to me," I said, in as quiet a voice I could. "I'm either turning into one of them or dying. There's no other way out of this. I don't know who I should be blaming at this point - my dad, for abandoning me? That man named Richter? Or myself for not being more careful? I guess, at this point, I have more important things to worry about than who to blame."

I was silent for a few seconds before resuming where I left off. "Besides, there's something strange happening with me," I confessed. "I'm starting to have unusual feelings for him... I've given it a lot of contemplation and I realized I'm really attached to him and I care about him a lot."

"I've never been in love before, but I think I just might be experiencing it for the first time in my life," I professed, unable to conceal the bashful smile threatening to come into light. "I never would've thought it would be possible, especially in a situation like this, but I guess it's always unexpected, huh?"

I ended the video log then, falling back onto my mattress and recalling how safe I felt in his arms, how effortlessly he made my heart race, how I always desired to bring him joy, to understand him as a person more. That unsettled sensation residing in my chest when I thought of him - it all meant the same thing, didn't it? I hadn't realized it before, but now it was becoming clearer.

I loved him, didn't I?

_Well, crap, this wasn't what I had in mind. How ridiculous, me falling in love at a time like this and with a vampire at that..._


	13. Lies

Author's Note: Lucky number thirteen! Hooray for long updates!

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><p><em>I love him. I love him, of all people!<em>

As I paced back and forth in front of the house, I found myself fretful, unable to dismiss the fact that I had given my heart to someone after eighteen years of being practically immune to the charms of boys. Sure, I thought some boys were attractive, but I never felt much for them besides that. But Shu was a whole different case and it made me angry. I never would have expected this was even possible! If Daichi was here and knew I had finally fallen for someone, he would laugh at me and say something like, 'I told you you'd fall for someone before you're twenty! Told you so!'

Agitated and out of line, I was less tolerant of the others when they came to join me outside and isolated myself, lest I snap at anyone who dared to provoke me. As I was trying to overcome my disbelief, Subaru approached me, placing a hand on my shoulder. I jumped, jolted from my thoughts and turned to look at him. He appeared genuinely concerned, probably having noticed how I was standing by myself rather than with the others.

"Subaru," I said in surprise.

"Are you okay?" he asked his brows knit together in worry. "You seem quiet today."

"Yeah, I'm fine!" I assured him. "I'm just worried about the exams is all. It's day two out of five."

He accepted my answer and nodded his head. His tense shoulders relaxed and he almost smiled in relief. "Hey, by the way, the day before, Richter..." he made sure nobody was eavesdropping before reporting what he knew. "That bastard really was the one who planned for you to be brought here. I interrogated him yesterday and he let it slip that he was after you and the powers you would have once you become one of us."

"Powers?" I inquired.

"Yeah. Be careful. I think he'll be coming back in four days for you," he warned. "You should stick by me in case he decides to come early."

"Okay."

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><p>The exams wrapped up without a hitch and as usual, Shu and I walked with one another after classes had concluded for the day. Knowing how I felt about him, I felt more nervous than usual and stood quietly at his side as we headed down the hallway, passing by envious girls who stopped to admire Shu's presence. He was as distant as he always was, his earphones in his ears and his apathetic eyes locked ahead. I let out a sigh as the same girl who snapped at me before came up to us, smiling up at Shu while completely neglecting my existence.<p>

"Shu-sama," she greeted. "How were your exams?"

He hardly even paid any heed to her. "They were okay."

"Prom is this Friday after exams are done with," she said, practically shoving me out of the way as she grabbed his arm with her filthy hands. I scoffed as she wiggled her chest at him, batting her lashes at him. "Since it's our last year I wanted to ask you to go with me."

_ Like he would go to prom, especially with a girl like you!_

I shook my head and watched in amusement as Shu glanced down at her in disinterest. "I don't go to pointless things like that."

"But it'll be fun," she insisted. "Please."

His expression was unchanged. "No."

"I'll pay for your ticket," she reasoned. "It'll be fun. I'm sure your brothers will be going, too."

"Even more reason not to. Sorry." He shook her off and in spite of his disinterested disposition when dealing with her, smiled gently at me. "Sayumi, let's go."

She whipped around and glowered dangerously at me as I grinned at her, moving to Shu's side. He took my arm in his, tugging me from the scene. I turned around to wink at her, gloating victoriously as she stomped away. Hopefully after getting rejected so blatantly, she wouldn't ever try something of the sort ever again. After a few minutes had gone by, I realized he was still arm-in-arm with me and blushed in embarrassment.

"Shu, you're still holding me," I pointed out, shyly touching a hand to my burning cheek.

"Oh."

He casually released me, shoving his hands into his pockets. I felt empty afterwards, but at least the heat in my cheeks had subsided and gone back to normal.

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><p>An hour past midnight, I stole away from my room, carrying my video camera with me as I sneaked down to Kanato's doll gallery. After making sure nobody had followed me, I allowed the large doors to slowly draw shut, simultaneously clicking open the camera and securing the strap around my hand. I recorded the seemingly endless rows of pale, lifeless women, seeming to be frozen in time as they gazed out into the space. I came up close to the glass cases, capturing the stark white images of their everlasting beauty, a sense of sadness striking me deep within my heart.<p>

"You all must have been just as scared as I was," I whispered as I strolled down the aisle, documenting the horrific doll gallery. "I'm probably going to join you guys in a few days, but I'm recording this just in case I survive… I'll expose this nightmare to the world and stop it before any other girls can suffer."

I heard something shuffle behind me and whipped around, a cold fear gripping at my throat as I saw a mass dart into the shadows. I hurriedly snapped my video camera shut hiding it behind me as I faced my attacker. "Who is it? Show yourself!"

Slowly but surely, Richter stepped out from his hiding place. I instinctively drew out my knife, protectively holding it out in front of me as he approached me, showing no signs of stopping. I took a few steps back, doing my best to retain my composure as I was backed up against the wall.

"Stay back!" I ordered. "What do you want from me?"

"Put that toy away, girl," Richter said. "Someone might get hurt."

"That's right," I retorted. "You'll be the one who'll get hurt if you don't back off right now."

He merely smiled, wrapping his hand around my trembling arm and lowering it for me. "You don't have it in you to kill someone. It's more than obvious."

_He can see right through me… This isn't good._

I glared at him, wrenching my arm from his grasp and pressing the knife against his neck. "Who says I'm afraid to use this?"

"It's in your eyes. You hate me, but not enough to kill me," he answered. "You wouldn't be able to overpower me, anyway. Don't bother trying."

We stared at one another for a tense moment before I reluctantly drew the dagger from his throat, well aware that he was more than right. I could never take somebody's life, no matter how much I despised that person. Even now, though I was threatened, my hand was shaking horribly just thinking about actually stabbing somebody. Fighting him would be useless and I would likely just wind up making a fool of myself.

"Alright. What the hell are you doing here?" I asked, attempting to retain my composure as I lowered the dagger. I placed it back in its sheath and put it away, relieved when he took a step back from me.

"Just to talk. That's it," he told me. "I visited your father today."

"My father?"

He was amused by my sudden enthusiasm and continued from where he left off. "I let myself into the house with the keys you so carelessly left behind in the car the day I drove you here. Do you care to guess what your father was doing? He was sitting in the living room, watching the television. He even invited me in for a cup of tea and thanked me for getting him to be as successful as he was. If I hadn't helped him nineteen years ago when he was living off of what little money he had left, he surely would be on the streets right now."

Richter placed his hand on my head, smirking slightly as I pushed his hand forcefully away. "I thought I might relate to you the truth behind your arrival at this house. Nineteen years ago, your fool of a father fell into deep debt and was desperate to regain his footing in the society that had turned his back on him. I took him in and he mistook my actions as an act of kindness, a gratuitous deed by a man who was concerned for a fellow man's well-being. After I had restored his status, he attempted to flee with your mother, who was pregnant at the time with you."

He paused, entertained by my faltering expression. "I caught him trying to steal money from me and when I threatened to kill him on the spot, he told me he would do anything as long as I allowed him to stay and repent for his actions. At first, I considered having him give your mother over to me, but I decided otherwise when I found out she was carrying a female child – you."

A chill ran down my spine as he smiled. "At first, he was unwilling, but when I warned him I would throw him back onto the streets, he promised I could take you whenever I pleased. It was then that we sealed the deal, that I would take you once you became of the suitable age, along with a handsome sum of money as repayment for everything I had done for him. He agreed to my conditions, all without consulting your mother who knew nothing of what her lover was truly like. He could have sacrificed himself in you and your mother's place yet he chose to give you up for money."

Imbued with more rage than I could even comprehend, I grabbed him by the collar, surprising even myself at how furious I was. "Stop lying to me! I know my father wouldn't do anything of the sort! He wrote me a letter. He told me you were stalking my family the whole time and when you found the right timing, you organized his disappearance and snatched me from my house."

"Foolish girl." Richter easily unhanded me, sending me sprawling onto the ground on my rear end. He coolly stared down at me nothing but ice behind his eyes. "You truly were deceived, and by your own father at that. Did you really believe his love for you was real? Did you know that the reason your parents divorced was because he was using your mother's money without her knowledge?"

"That's not true… Mom even said that it was because she decided what she wanted in a marriage and in life wasn't the same as my father, so they separated on mutual agreements of dual custody," I defended.

Richter ignored my statements and picked up where he had left off. "Your mother noticed she was missing sums of cash and confronted your father about it. He was using that money on his hobbies without first consulting her about it. After they separated, she moved to the United States. I ran into her one day and she told me everything that had happened. Your father hadn't even told her anything about his promise to me and asked me if I knew how you were doing, since your father had neglected to contact her like he had informed her he would."

Richter seemed to be wholeheartedly enjoying my misery and lifted me up by the collar, taking a folded piece of paper out of his pocket and handing it to me. "If you don't believe me, why don't you look at this yourself? Your father planned this all out himself and sent me a memo detailing just how he would disappear from your world and hand you over to me, all while appearing as if he had nothing to do with it at all."

I snatched the paper from him, opening it up. My father's familiar handwriting gave me an unwelcome greeting. A plan was listed on the page, just as Richter had said. They were organized by steps, along with dates and monetary calculations in the margins. It felt as if an arrow had just ran through my chest as I gripped tightly onto the paper, to the point where my hands were shaking from exerting so much force. I couldn't fathom that my father had plotted this out alongside of Richter. It was simply unthinkable and the thought that this was all real hardly even crossed my mind.

_No… This can't be… Richter is just trying to get into my head._

No matter how hard I stared at the page, trying to find some sort of indication that Richter had impersonated my father's handwriting, it was impossible to find anything that indicated it wasn't genuine. Everything, from the style of writing to the color of ink, to the spacing – it all was akin to my father's writing. Denial quickly overcame me, attempting to shield my weakening heart from the harsh reality.

"You expect me to believe a piece of paper over my father's own words?" I demanded, my voice trembling.

"You said it yourself. Your father wrote you a letter and you believed it, did you not? Was that not a piece of paper as well?" he inquired, a smug smile on his face. "You're not stupid. I know even you understand just what kind of man your father is now."

"S-so, you're saying my father is behind all of this?" I asked.

"That's right. Even you realize it, don't you? Isn't that why you call him your father now, rather than 'dad'?"

_I hadn't even realized it, but I called him father this entire time._

The plan had listed the date of the Hong Kong flight along with the cost of the flight and the cost of staying at a private resort in Hong Kong for a month. My father had stayed at a resort in the time span where he had been absent from my world and he had hired a man named William to impersonate a man named Marcus Lin, who had been the one who informed me of my father's disappearance in the first place. This William man had fabricated a whole investigation over the phone to me, all while being paid a handsome sum of $5,000 just for that.

Not only did my father stay at a resort in Hong Kong while I suffered with worry at home, but he also wrote that letter that had been supposedly sent by Narita Tech's CEO with his condolences and a cash amount of $10,000. My father had done that by himself, while laying out on the beach with a drink and enjoying the warm sun as I wallowed in my despair over losing him, the most valuable person in my life. It had all been an illusion. The page even detailed the date Richter would pick me up and a reminder to hand over the sum of money he had promised him long ago.

I crumpled the piece of paper in my hand, hot tears threatening to spill out of my eyes. That kind, warm-hearted image of my father – it was all an act, wasn't it? Betrayed and disgusted with myself for not realizing anything sooner, I clamped a hand over my mouth, pushing past Richter and heading towards the exit of the gallery. I stopped right before the door and without turning around, asked Richter the last thing I wanted to find out from him.

"My father – did he mention me at all when you spoke with him?"

Even I was afraid to hear the answer.

"No. Not even once."

My fists clenched tightly. "That's all I wanted to know."

When I returned to my bedroom, I collapsed onto my knees, burying my face in my hands as I wept angrily. How could I have been so ignorant? Even though Subaru had already warned me of my father not caring about what ended up happening to me, I had still clung onto that thin sliver of hope, desperately praying that whatever we all believed was wrong, and that he was an unwilling accomplice in this horrific scheme. In the end, it turned out I was just delusional, having been so concerned for myself that I lost sight of what was real and what was fake. Everything that I had thought was real in the past had been a huge life, a hoax, a trap that I was too blind to see. I was furious beyond belief, more at myself than anybody else.

"Shit!" I screamed, swiping everything off of my bedside table and watching as they noisily littered my bedroom floor. In my fury, I destroyed every object I saw, unleashing my pent-up anger on anything that I caught sight of.

The framed photograph of my father and I wound up within my sight and I picked it up, throwing it with all of my might to the side, the sheer impact creating a noticeable dent in the wall. I felt a brief sense of relief when the glass shattered into pieces, the frame cracking in half and leaving the photograph open to me. I slipped my fingers beneath the glass and pulled out the picture, feeling the urge to vomit when I saw how happy I looked. Without even hesitating for a moment I began to tear it into pieces, reducing it to a pile of unrecognizable pieces as I stomped onto it, kicking it carelessly all over the place.

In the midst of my rampage, Shu had opened the door, drawn towards all of the noise. I temporarily stopped myself from smashing my camera and stared at him, wide-eyed, seeming to snap out of my trance. I lowered my camera, setting it back down as I faced the blank-faced male.

He stepped over the mess, coming over to me with an emotionless expression. "What are you doing?"

I said nothing, merely handing him the crumpled up ball of what originally had been my father's plan. He took one glance at it and then turned around to survey the destruction. "Where did you find this?"

I mustered up all of my courage, doing my best not to break down as I reflected shortly upon my encounter with Richter and what I had learned about my father's true self. It took all of the strength in my body not to give in to my tears and steady my tremulous lips as the story poured out from my mouth.

After I was done, I continued to vent out my emotions and picked up one of the tea cups my dad had painted for me, flinging it angrily against the wall. A strange sense of joy washed over me when it shattered into dozens of pieces on the ground, freeing me little by little of my rage. Then I smashed the alarm clock he had bought me for my eighth birthday on the ground, Shu sitting idly by as I unleashed my wrath upon anything that reminded me even remotely of my dad. All of it was destroyed - torn, crushed, until ultimately lying on unrecognizable heaps on the wooden floor.

When I had at last tired and retreated to the warmth and safety of my bed, Shu watched me with blank eyes, speaking no words of comfort. Having nobody to talk to or lean on, I covered my face and wept silently for the next few minutes. How pitiful I must appear now - the tough, bold Fujimoto Sayumi reduced to a broken, vexed weakling. When I felt the bed shift I assumed Shu finally had enough of my ignominious rampage and had gone.

Instead, he seated himself right in front of me, calling my name. When I looked up at him, he seemed to be silently saying it was alright for me to cry on his shoulder. Uncertainty clouded my features before I gingerly reached out to him, hugging him and burying my face into his shoulder. He didn't embrace me back, but he did not push me away nor did he move, either. Comforted by his warmth and familiar scent, I eventually wore out of my crying and fell asleep.

"Thank you," I remember whispering before the exhaustion overcame me.

* * *

><p><em>Three days left.<em>

I leaned against the balcony railing, watching the sunrise with unsettled emotions stirring within my chest. After venting out my emotions as I had the previous night, I couldn't decipher whether or not my anger had completely dissipated or if it had simply gone into a temporary submission. Either way, the pain of betrayal was still there and I was desperate to find some way to escape this horrible feeling. Watching the sunrise, with my camera around my neck, I could not help but be slightly alleviated of my heavy burdens.

A cool breeze caressed my hair, soothing me as I gazed out at the horizon. On any normal occasion I would be eagerly snapping photos and recording my excitement over the beautiful sight, but today I had only taken one photo and felt like it was enough. I wondered how many other people out there were also sharing the same view as I was now and with their loved ones at their sides. Gripped by more loneliness than I had ever felt in my life, I wondered if I should just descend down the balcony to my death on the cement down below.

_ No... I couldn't._

Lifting my stare back up to the sky, I shook these thoughts out of my head and immersed myself in the natural spectacle.

_The sunrise – it never changes. It's gorgeous._

"Hey."

Thinking it was Shu, I turned around immediately. However, it was Subaru who had joined me instead, standing next to me and glancing over at me when I didn't respond to him like I normally would. Worry encased his red eyes, a visible frown drawing across his lips as he called out to me.

"Sayumi."

I looked at him, forcing a smile. "It's nice watching the sunrise, huh?"

"I guess."

"Yesterday, I met Richter," I began, surprising him. "I drew the dagger on him and threatened that I would stab him if he came any closer. I held the knife to his throat, warning him that I would use it if I had to. But even when I had been cornered against the wall, I couldn't do it. He might as well have killed me and I wouldn't have dared to stab him. I've been playing it tough the entire time. I can't kill anybody, even if my own life is in danger. If that isn't weak, then I don't know what is."

He was quiet for a moment, puzzling over how to respond. "You aren't weak. From the start, you've kept my brothers on their toes. Nobody has ever stood up to what they've done until you came to live with us. They would try, but eventually they were broken within a week's time and gave themselves up. You haven't."

Subaru placed a gentle hand on my shoulder. "The first day here, you hit Ayato in the face," he reminded me. "He didn't really show it but he was angry. Nobody had resisted him in his life, much less hit him. You even pulled a knife out on the others. For a human, you've given everyone a lot of trouble. And they hate it."

Though his eyes were as expressionless as they always were, I could detect sympathy in his tone of voice and smiled, recalling every time I had thwarted the brothers, resulting in them unwillingly backing off. Over the last month and a half, I had only been bitten a few times, much less than anyone else had been before me. Kanato had never even bitten me before and Ayato, Raito, and Subaru had only gotten me once. Every time anyone tried I would fight them, in most cases succeeding. Reiji, on the other hand, was persistent and refused to give up, no matter how much I tried keeping him away. He was so caught up with competing with and besting his brother that he didn't care about how I felt.

"I guess you're right," I mused thoughtfully, though I had only felt slightly uplifted. "That man, Richter - he told me the truth about my father. He really did abandon me and set everything up himself."

I handed him the plan that my father had written himself, watching as he flattened it out and read it through. Something changed within his eyes and he furiously tore it up, throwing the scraps off the balcony, the wind carrying it away, never to be seen again.

He balled his hands into fists, his expression softening greatly as he looked at me. "Are you okay, Sayumi?"

I wasn't going to lie. "Not really. But sooner or later, I will be."

I prepared breakfast for myself, Subaru, Reiji, and Kanato, and after dining in an uncomfortable silence I decided to go water the plants. As I was doing this, Ayato came out to pester me, suddenly placing his hands on my shoulder and scaring me out of my wits. I responded in turn by spraying him with the hose, drenching his jacket in one shot. He was angered by my brazen retaliation but couldn't help but smirk as he took off his jacket, hanging it on a tree and following me around as I gardened.

When afternoon came I sat in the living room doing last minute reviewing with Raito, who stared at me the entire time rather than his book, pleading me to put on my glasses. Of course I ignored him and he gradually gave up and settled for making perverted comments to try to distract me.

Kanato wanted to have a picnic with me so mid-afternoon I grabbed a blanket of his choice and we ventured out underneath some trees with Teddy and my rabbit, which he called Cotton Ball, to enjoy a four-person picnic. He got upset that I didn't make anything for Teddy and Cotton Ball so to avoid him going on a sudden rampage, I broke off two parts of my own sandwich for them both. He seemed to be satisfied afterwards, all malice disappearing from his purple orbs as he complimented my cooking.

As we packed up and went back into the house, he decided to bring things in himself and after kissing me on my forehead, left me with Teddy and Cotton Ball and rushed off ahead into the mansion. I was surprised by his behavior but decided it better not to question him and followed after him with the intent to return his bear to him.

I was walking aimlessly about in the hallway when I bumped into Reiji, who had just emerged from his study. I tensed up when he noticed me, walking over towards me and pushing me against the wall. As he hovered over me, setting his dark eyes upon me, I felt my heartbeat race nervously in my chest.

"Have you really settled for that good-for-nothing?" he asked.

I was silent.

His eyes narrowed as he scrutinized me, leaning in so close I could feel his hot breath on my lips. "Why?" he spoke, more to himself than to me.

For a mere instant, I swore that I saw pain swelling in his deep red orbs before it vanished. Then, as quickly as he had come, he had gone, pacing away and leaving me alone in the hallway.


	14. Melody

Author's Note: This story is not discontinued, so don't worry my little puppies! School has started and I'm still in the process of drafting the ending, so I'll be updating much slower from now on. There are only a few chapters left, so please bear with me until it's over! Comments are always appreciated. I always love a confident boost!

* * *

><p>"Everyone, prom is two nights away," Raito sang as he took the seat next to me in the limousine. "I've already bought tickets for all of us, including you, darling Sayumi."<p>

A symphony of sighs and angry insults reverberated throughout the vehicle after the news had broken out. Everybody turned an angry glare upon him as he chuckled, throwing his arm over my shoulders and holding me at an uncomfortably close proximity, ignoring my blatant protests. I lacked the usual rigor I would have and perhaps that was why he found it so easy to pick on me.

"Sayumi-chan, you're going to be my date this year," he declared. "I'm getting excited just imagining how ravishing you'll be in your dress and makeup."

"No," I stated. "I'm not going, especially with you."

He blushed upon my indignant response, flashing his seductive emerald orbs at me. "Please, refuse me even more. It turns me on."

Ayato wrenched Raito's eager hands off of me and glowered in a threatening manner at him. "She's the date of Yours Truly and that's final," he announced. "There is no room for second-placers."

Subaru crossed his arms over his chest, mocking Ayato in annoyance. "I'm sick of hearing you call yourself that. Yours Truly this, Yours Truly that. It's sick."

"What did you say, Subaru? You hermit!" the red-haired boy demanded, getting up to retaliate.

Before he could do anything, Reiji shot him a stern look, ordering him to sit. "Sit down. Are you really picking a fight in the car?"

Kanato, who sat across from Raito, smiled at me. "Sayumi-chan is going with me, RIGHT?"

"No she isn't, you little crybaby," Ayato snapped. "She's going with me."

Shu, who had been quiet the entire time, opened his eyes and glanced over at me, noting how unaffected I was. "You seem to be opposed to their invitations. Would you rather be accompanied by someone of your own choice?" he asked.

"You mean I choose?" I questioned as everybody gave me their undivided attention. Even Subaru looked curious to find out who I would pick to be my prom date. Feeling the pressure of everyone's expectant stares, I swallowed the lump in my throat and scanned everyone's faces.

Raito was testing me, a playful smirk dancing upon his lips as he attempted to silently win me over.

Ayato was irritated with everyone going against his word and looked like a child in need of someone to support him and be on his side.

Shu was as disinterested as he ever was, his arms crossed lazily over his chest but a hint of curiosity in the way he slightly leaned forward.

Subaru had his arms folded behind his head; his previous irritation was gone as he keenly monitored my movements, attempting to predict my answer.

Reiji pushed his glasses up, as stiff and uncaring as he usually was and appearing as if he was paying me no heed.

Kanato was smiling at me, his bloodshot eyes staring right into me as if trying to search my brain for my answer.

"Then… Shu."

My decision sent everyone into surprise. Everyone but Raito and Shu were objecting. Even Subaru seemed to be put off by my choice and stared questionably at Shu, who was as calm as ever amidst the chaos.

"Him? That lazy oaf?" Ayato shouted in disbelief. "Why the hell would you choose him over Yours Truly?"

"Sayumi-chan, I thought you liked me," Kanato said, tears brimming in his eyes before drastically being replaced by anger. "You belong to me! Only me! Nobody else!"

"I've never seen anyone so ridiculously foolish," Reiji scoffed. "You would rather waste your time with a worthless deadbeat like him at such an event?"

"You should go with me. I'll protect you," Subaru stated.

"Protect? Don't make me laugh, Subaru," Ayato huffed.

As the brothers bickered back and forth, insulting each other and me, Raito placed a steady hand on my arm, causing me to turn and look at him.

"You love him, don't you?" he inquired knowingly. ""Shu, I mean."

"What?" I cried out in astonishment. "No!"

"You think I wouldn't notice the desire in your eyes when you look at him?" he asked. "I wish you would look at me that way too."

"You're crazy," I retorted. "I'd never love a vampire."

He did not back down and smiled at me, licking me on the cheek. "Hm. Your body isn't lying. You love him, to the point where you would beg him to drink your blood," he spoke obscenely. "I wonder how you handle yourself at night from inside your bed, yearning for his touch. I can bring you the pleasure you desire, if you want."

"P-pervert," I spat in embarrassment, shoving him away from me and watching as he cackled in amusement, enjoying my flustered reaction. "Go to hell!"

When the limo reached the school, I stormed off inside, not bothering to wait for the others. As soon as I sat down in my seat I immediately started the test, eventually relaxing to the point where I could clearly interpret the questions it was asking me. The day went by quickly and I seemed to forget all about my talk with Richter and about Raito's cruel teasing. After classes had ended, I spotted Yuki for the first time since we met and she bounded enthusiastically over to me, grabbing my hands.

"Sayumi-senpai, it's so great to see you again!" she exclaimed in delight. "Perhaps you haven't noticed but you're already quite popular around here."

"Huh? Really?"

"Yeah." The orange-haired girl beamed at me. "You're famous around here for standing up to Miyuki. You know her, she has light brown hair and big, blue eyes, and she usually wears her hair like this!"

Yuki swept her bangs to the side and bundled her hair up to form a side ponytail. She had just described the girl who was infatuated with Shu, the one who had given me trouble because she was so keen on trying to get him to go out with her. When I realized I was popular for getting in her way, I almost laughed had Yuki not continued on.

"You know her, right? She's a famous actress' daughter and she's training to become a professional violinist," she spoke. "You should hear her play. She's mean, but the music she plays is beautiful."

"Hm. You don't say?" I inquired, feigning interest.

"Mhm! There's a recital in twenty minutes in the auditorium! It's a little bit out of nowhere, but would you like to come? My friend plays right after Miyuki and if you want to come, it would be great."

"In twenty minutes?"

By then, the DRIVER would be here to take us home. I told her I'd have to ask the people I went home with first and she followed me out to the front, where the Sakamaki brothers were waiting for me. I suggested that she wait at the door as I went up to Reiji to ask him if it was okay if I stayed. To my surprise, instead of being upset that I had even asked, he sighed, allowing me to stay, but under the conditions that they all accompanied me to make sure I didn't try to get away or pull something stupid. The thought of dragging them along and ruining Yuki's idea of watching her friend perform killed me, but I really had no choice.

"Um, Yuki?" I called as I rejoined her.

"You live with the Sakamaki brothers?" she asked in bewilderment. "They're really popular here, you know. Are you family?"

"I'm not related to them, I just live with them," I laughed, trying to change the subject. "Anyway, I can go with you but they want to tag along, too."

"Really? Great!" she exclaimed, too excited for her own good. "So why do you live with them if you're not related? When you said you moved I didn't know you lived with them!"

"It's a long story, maybe another day," I chuckled nervously. "Where's the way to the auditorium? Let's get there early so we get good seats."

"Right. Follow me, senpai. I'll lead the way!"

She took my hand led me away, the brothers following shortly afterwards. When we reached the auditorium it was already full of people but we still managed to grab decent seats. Yuki and I sat next to each other and the Sakamakis sat both in front of us and behind. Raito, Reiji, and Subaru were behind us and Ayato, Shu, and Kanato were in front. Raito kept touching my hair when Yuki wasn't looking, even when I glared at him. Meanwhile, Reiji was watching me like a hawk and Subaru glanced at me worriedly, knowing how uncomfortable I was.

Ayato turned in his seat, completely ignoring Yuki's existence as he looked at me. "Yo. What are we watching anyway?"

"A music recital," I answered, trying to be as friendly as I possibly could.

"Music recital, huh?" he sighed. "Booooring."

"Sounds exciting," Kanato said, smiling at me from directly in front of me. "Especially because I can watch it with you, Sayumi-chan."

"Since when do you have an interest in music, brat?" Ayato asked.

Yuki laughed in spite of my obvious displeasure. "It must be fun living with all six of them," she confessed. "I would love it."

"Oh, not really, please don't say you would like to be in my place," I replied. "It's not as great as it sounds."

"But they seem to care a lot about you! That's why they came with you, right? You don't have to be shy, senpai," she giggled. "Tell me which one you like. There's bound to be one, right? They're all so good-looking, I'd be surprised if you don't have a thing for one of them."

I merely dodged the question and decided to press her about prom and school events. "So, Yuki, are you going to prom this Friday? I've never been to any school events here at this school so I'm not sure what to expect."

She immediately brightened up and eagerly nodded her head. "Yes, I'm going with my friends! The events here are all top-notch and extravagant. I'm still not used to it, to be honest." Yuki rubbed the back of her head meekly as she RESUMED. "Expect it to be really formal, probably a lot more than your old school. They're really serious about it here."

"Oh geez... Sounds more stressful than fun."

"It's not too bad after the first twenty minutes," she admitted. "You'll get used to how it is and it'll be a lot easier after talking to three or four people. Are you going?"

I inclined my head. "It's last-minute, but I am."

"You should come with me and my friends, Sayumi-senpai," she invited. "Unless you have a date to go with?"

"Er..."

Thankfully the music recital began before I had time to answer. The first few minutes was simply one of the music DIRECTORS explaining how the school's musicians come from a long line of successful people and how the students work hard and whatnot. I zoned out halfway through, suddenly remembering how much Shu was fascinated with music. He seemed hooked the moment the orchestra began playing, his earphones completely off for the first time ever as he immersed himself in the harmonious melody.

He looks so passionate about it. It's cute.

Being a musician as well, I paid close attention to the tune, losing myself in the beauty of the sounds. After the orchestra played several pieces, it progressed to duets and then finally to solos. There were only three solos - Miyuki's, Yuki's friend's, and a boy's. As soon as Miyuki got onto the stage in a dress and carrying her white violin with her, everyone hushed over and watched her intently, that is, with the exception of me and the Sakamaki brothers, who were bored beyond belief. Ayato was SNORING from where he sat, students staring at him in annoyance as he disturbed the peace.

Shu was the only one who seemed to be in a trance as Miyuki began to play, flawlessly carrying out her performance. The whole time she played, I slipped between awe and anxiety. She handled the instrument so expertly and played so well, it wasn't surprising that even Shu was enchanted by her. After wrapping up her solo, she bowed to the laudatory audience, shooting me a secret smirk as she descended off the stage.

So she noticed me...

Shu was sitting, still deep in thought, as if he were still under his spell. I felt my heart sink as I tore my eyes from him, trying to be as excited as Yuki was for her friend's performance.

Does Shu like girls like her?

I couldn't help but feel threatened by Miyuki's presence. She was beautiful, much more than I was, not to mention her mother was a famous actress and could play the violin like an expert. Seeing how intensely Shu had been watching her, I began to feel as if he were attracted to her and could not pay attention for the concluding performances. After it was all over and all had left the auditorium, Yuki nudged me in the stomach.

"Senpai, you've been quiet. Did Miyuki blow you away that much?" she inquired playfully, though I could only smile wryly at her. "My friend, Ayame - what did you think about her solo? She wrote the piece herself. She's not as great as Miyuki is but she's a hard worker and..."

I unconsciously muted her voice out as I looked for any sign of the brothers. Ayato spotted me amongst the crowd first, hitting me in the back with his knee and snapping me forcefully out of my daze.

"Sayumi, why'd you drag us along for that? I fell asleep while the old man was rambling," he queried. "Now I know why I prefer sports over that stuff."

I smiled. "You, a sports guy? I can't imagine it."

"Eh?" he glared at me. "I play basketball."

"So do I. I'll challenge you," I said. "Just warning you, I'm good at stealing the ball."

He grinned, accepting my challenge. "Alright. When we get home let's play one-on-one. You're going to lose."

"You wish."

I turned to Yuki, who was smiling widely at us. "Ayato-kun is your boyfriend?"

I choked. "What?! No way, he's like a baby I have to take care of or he'll cry."

"Bitch," he exclaimed in irritation when I embarrassed him. "Baby? You're the baby."

As we glared at each other, Raito slipped his arm around Yuki and leaned in close, peering at her shocked face. "Hey, cutie!"

"Raito-kun," she gasped. Feeling protective over her, I kicked Raito in the shin, watching as she escaped him and hid behind me as he recovered from my attack. He kept trying to get at her so I stood in as her shield until ultimately Raito gave up and settled for me instead, hugging me tightly as the remaining four brothers joined us.

"My sweet Sayumi," Raito purred. "I can't wait to see you in your dress."

"You're making her uncomfortable," Reiji said in disgust, causing Raito to let go of me. "Despicable."

"So are we going home yet?" Shu asked, his earphones back in. "I'm TIRED."

"The car should be here in ten minutes," Reiji replied harshly and glanced at me and then at Yuki, intimidating her with his hostility. She chuckled nervously, patting me on the shoulder as she excused herself.

"Senpai, I'll see you soon! Thank you for coming with me!" she said and took off.

As soon as she was gone, everyone started saying things at once. Ayato continued to complain about how boring the music recital was and how he was going to defeat me when we played basketball later on. Meanwhile, Raito sulked about how I had prevented him from flirting with a cute girl and Subaru was mumbling something about having better things to do than sit around and watch people play instruments that he had no interest in. Kanato was telling me how happy he was to watch a musical with me and Reiji was fretting about how agitating everyone was. Meanwhile, Shu was gazing off to the side, detached from everyone else.

Should I approach him?

I debated about it for a moment before deciding against it. It was probably better to wait until we were by ourselves, anyway. Besides, there was something that I wanted to speak to Subaru about. When Kanato stopped talking to me and directed his attention towards Teddy, I snuck off towards Subaru, who was struggling to make a group of girls leave him alone. Tapping him gently on the shoulder, he turned around in irritation, assuming I was another one of the girls, but when he realized it was me he calmed down.

"What is it?" he asked, slightly annoyed.

To his surprise, all of the girls walked away as soon as I smiled amiably at them, retreating almost as quickly as they had come. "Um, are we really going to prom on Friday or was Raito just kidding about buying tickets?" I inquired.

He sighed. "He wasn't kidding. He really did buy us all tickets, that bastard." He scratched his head, and then looked at me with a slight blush on his cheeks. "I'm kind of disappointed that you didn't pick me to be your date. Why Shu?"

"Subaru?" I asked in disbelief.

He coughed, playing it cool and curtly changing the subject. "I'm a first year, so I don't know if they'll even let me go, since it's meant for second and third years. Whatever. Either way, it isn't like it matters to me or anything."

"But it'd be more fun if you went," I argued. "Besides, going with the five of them without a friendly face around would be a bummer."

"You really want me to go that bad?" he inquired. "I hate things like that. They're pointless."

"Maybe, but I'm selfish and I want you go to, too. So I don't feel as lonely," I laughed, feeling relieved when his eyes softened. "Besides, there's something that's supposed to happen on that day, anyway. I'm supposed to change that night, so in case anything happens you'll be there, right?"

He nodded, smiling as he squeezed my shoulder. "I guess I should go then."

At that moment, Raito spotted the two of us and found a perfect opportunity to tease us. "Oh? Subaru seems to be a little quick with his hands. He can't seem to stop touching our little princess."

"Shut up!" Subaru snapped in irritation, grabbing him by the collar. "Bastard."

"Don't be so violent in front of everyone like this," Raito sang. "You might scare the cute girls away."

Before Subaru could lash out at Raito, Shu spoke up, breaking his silence. "Quit it. You guys are stupid.""

Subaru unwillingly released Raito's collar and walked away. I glared at Raito in annoyance, moving to go after the indignant male. Shu let out a sigh, following me with his eyes as I went to console the youngest brother.


	15. Preparations

Author's Note: Well, senior year is proving to be lots of fun, and I mean that in the most sarcastic way possible. But at least I'm done with college apps, there's one less thing to worry about! So much money spent and so much time and effort on schoolwork, it leaves little time for my hobbies. D: But I'm glad there's still a lot of you who've stayed subscribed to this fanfic even though I haven't updated in a while! It means a lot! :-)

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><p>"Okay, let's rock paper scissors and see who gets to start," Ayato said as he held the basketball under the crook of his arm.<p>

We were in the Sakamaki home's indoor basketball court, which was adjacent to the room with the indoor swimming pool. Apparently this was in Ayato's territory since he was practically the only one who used them. Sticking true to my challenge, I had come to play with him in a pair of shorts and a tank top, not having a p.e. uniform I could wear. Meanwhile he wore the same thing, claiming it wouldn't get in the way of his defeating me, but I thought otherwise.

We dueled three times before I he ended up starting the game, passing by me and easily scoring a point with a lay up. He grinned, standing with a hand on his hip as the ball bounced towards me. I smiled at him before grabbing it, dribbling it skillfully and maneuvering past him, shooting it and getting a point for myself as well. He was shocked at first, and then glared at me, snatching the ball and trying to push past me to his side for another shot. I ended up stealing the ball, scoring an additional point and laughing at his horrified expression.

Things went back and forth like that for an hour before he finally accepted defeat. I had only won by five points, but he had determined it would only be an hour game and he was true to his word. As he tossed a towel towards me to wipe my sweat, he beamed at me, genuinely showing me kindness.

"You're pretty good for a girl," he commented. "Though you did some dirty tricks while we were playing."

"Dirty tricks? Like what?"

"Like pushing your chest on me to distract me."

"What? It's called defense. I was not shoving my boobs onto you! Don't try and find excuses to justify your losing! It was a fair game."

He crossed his arms over his chest defiantly. "Sure. I was going to make you go with me to prom if I won, but since you beat me, I guess you can go with Shu."

"Hey! You didn't even tell me that," I pointed out. "That wouldn't have been fair, would it?"

"Whatever. I'm still the best."

_ He's annoying. But he's just like a child._

I couldn't be angry at him and laughed, exiting the basketball court with my towel around my neck. As soon as we got into the hallway, we bumped into Raito, who had been watching us play from the glass windows.

"Sayumi-chan, you look sexy," he remarked, looking me up and down. "Tank top and shorts, not to mention your hair is in a ponytail. I'm excited just looking at you."

"Eh? You've been there the whole time?" Ayato questioned in disbelief. "I didn't even notice you."

"You were too captivated by Sayumi's beauty to notice me," he replied matter-of-factly. Ayato's gaze intensified, but he said nothing and nudged me in the side.

"Go shower, you smell like sweat."

"Geez, thanks a lot. Same to you, too."

I sauntered off to shower and afterwards ventured out to the lake where I could see the waxing moon in its full glory while simultaneously drying my hair. As I basked under the milky luminescent glow of the moonlight, I reflected upon the day. Raito had surprised everyone by suddenly announcing that he had purchased prom tickets for the seven of us and everyone had debated back and forth over who was going to be the one to take me to prom. Noticing I was too down to decline or accept anybody's invitations, Shu had urged me to choose someone on my own, and I had picked him, of course. I wouldn't go with anybody else but him.

After school, I had encountered Yuki, whom I had not seen nor heard from since the first time we had met. She invited me to attend the school music recital after informing me Miyuki was performing and so I had joined her after asking Reiji for permission. All six brothers had ended up tagging along with us and giving her a strange first impression, particularly Reiji, who scared her off.

During Miyuki's solo, Shu had appeared to be so transfixed, so fascinated by her just like the rest of the audience was. After all, she was beautiful, with long brown hair and large eyes, and she was able to play violin so wonderfully, enchanting the entire room with the way she moved and the music she created. In spite of her pretty image, the personality she possessed underneath was questionable. She hated me for no reason besides the fact that Shu and I were acquainted with one another. Besides that, there really was no other reason for her to despise me like she did. It was clear she wanted me far from him because she was attracted to him, but it wasn't like I was going to let that happen.

Somehow, I had fallen in love with Shu, though I wondered if he felt the same way about me. When I had asked him why he had kissed me, he had answered that he did so because it was in the moment, that he assumed that was what I wanted him to do. Yet, there was no indication whatsoever that he returned my sentiments for him. Perhaps he only saw me as someone who understood him or maybe even as someone troublesome – either way, he didn't view me in the same light I viewed him in. Maybe he truly was attracted to Miyuki, or at least, girls like her who were beautiful and gifted with a fine upbringing.

Feeling discouraged, I let out a sigh, gazing into the dark depths of the lake at my reflection. Love was such a complicated thing. Now I understood why I had tried to avoid it for so long. It was simply a rollercoaster ride, with extremely high points followed by extremely low ones. It was enough to make me go crazy. I was so inexperienced with romance that I hardly knew how I was supposed to handle these kinds of emotions. Was I happy, sad, jealous, or just naïve? Maybe it was mixture of all of them.

I had been so immersed in my thoughts that I failed to notice someone was walking towards me, their familiar form emerging from the shadows. Immediately, a relieved smile appeared on my face – at least it wasn't Raito who had followed me out to harass me in my peaceful moment.

"Subaru," I called, stretching my arms out and relaxing my aching muscles. "What are you doing here?"

"I couldn't sleep," he admitted and took a seat by me on the grass. "You seemed out of it after that music recital earlier."

"Did I? What makes you say that?"

"Call it instinct or whatever," he replied, propping a leg up and resting his arm on top of it. "You seemed to be happy today, though, when you were talking to that friend of yours."

"Yeah, I guess." I crossed one of my outstretched legs over the other and leaned my head back to look up at the stars. "It just feels nice to be able to finally hang out with someone, you know? I might as well treasure little things like this while I can, right? That's why I'm deciding I should probably get myself excited for prom, even though it's last-minute."

"Sayumi…" he softened up, though only for a second. "I guess so. You seemed to be able to decide who you wanted to go with pretty easily. I would have thought you would say that you wanted to go alone."

I chuckled. "Hm. It was just in the moment, I guess. Shu seemed like he didn't want to go, so I picked him."

"Is it really just that?" Subaru queried. When I glanced over at him in surprise, he almost smiled, though it was hard to tell considering the fact he hardly expressed any emotions. "Maybe you haven't noticed, but you're more attached to him than you are to anybody else."

_He knows, doesn't he? Is it that obvious?_

Knowing there really was no way out of this, I smiled at him. "Okay, maybe you're right. But even if what you're saying is true, it doesn't mean that my feelings are reciprocated."

"You don't know that for certain."

"Alright. I'm not certain but the possibility of him feeling the same is close to none."

He sighed. "You give up easy."

"I'm not giving up! I'm just being realistic," I defended. "He doesn't see no less than a troublesome girl and no more than someone who he's acquainted with. Vampires can't love humans, can they? After all, they're more superior to us."

"That's not true at all," Subaru retorted, his forceful voice surprising me. "Sometimes… sometimes I wish that I were human instead. At least humans are able to make their own decisions in their lives. We vampires don't have many choices we make on our own. The choices we do make affect our lives forever. If we mess up once we will always regret it for the rest of our lives. Meanwhile, humans have the power to change their fates. If they make a mistake, they can fix it and move on. But we vampires live with our regret for the rest of our lives."

"Subaru…"

"Don't be like me. You'll regret not be able to do anything while you had the chance."

Seeing how pained and heartfelt he was, I couldn't say no. Inclining my head, I resolved to tell Shu how I felt about him, since I really had nothing to lose at this point. It was just as Subaru had said – if I did not say anything now, I would regret it later on – that is, if there even was a later on. The third night was coming to an end and I had only two more nights left to live as a human. I would either die on Friday night or cross the boundary and become one of them. There really was nothing for me to hold back.

"I don't know what to tell him," I said. "I've never been in love with anybody so I have no clue what I'm supposed to say. He's going to laugh at me or think I'm weird. He doesn't have a girlfriend, does he?"

"You're asking the wrong person for advice," he said. "Did you forget I'm younger than you are?"

"Oh, right. You haven't been in love before, Subaru?"

He seemed to be contemplating over my question before ultimately shaking his head. "No."

"I guess I have nobody but myself to consult, huh?" I laughed, rubbing the back of my head sheepishly. "Um. Is it obvious?"

"What?"

"That I like him."

He shrugged his shoulders, standing up and coolly putting his hands into his pockets. "I don't know."

"I hope that means no," I said as he headed back towards the house. "Goodnight, Subaru!"

He held a hand up to indicate he had heard me. Then he was gone.

Left alone once more, I couldn't help but let out a breath. "I really am not up to this at all…"

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><p><em>Two more normal days left… What should I do today? Right, I should probably look through my clothes for a nice dress for prom.<em>

Feeling excited butterflies in my chest, I went through my closet, trying on three different dresses I deemed suitable, checking how it looked in the mirror in the front and back several times each. I picked up the red one, slipped it out, checked it out, then repeated the process for the black one, then the blue one, until ultimately going back to the red one and trying to decide whether or not Shu would like how I looked in this one. Never had I had such trouble just picking out what to wear to prom. I had been debating for the past half hour with no progress whatsoever. It didn't look like I was going to able to make a decision for the next twenty years.

_If Dad were here… No. I shouldn't think about what he'd say._

Not wanting to bring my spirits down, I shook my father from my thoughts and collapsed on the bed in my normal clothes, feeling at a loss. There weren't any girls I could around to help me choose and neither did I have any internet to post my picture to my blog and ask for people's opinions. I wasn't exactly comfortable with having the brothers helping me decide, either, so I resorted to the process of elimination first. I decided to go against the black dress, finding it to be a bit dull compared to the bright, vibrant blue gown and colorful red dress. I hung it back up in the closet and sat down to stare at the blue and red one.

_Maybe if I decide how I'm going to die my hair, I might be able to pick which dress goes along with my hairstyle._

I pulled out a magazine from my drawer and leafed through the hairstyle section. There were so many options I could go with. After debating for a good ten minutes I decided on going with side-swept bangs and a single long braid, which I would then wind intricately until I formed a flower-shaped pattern on the back of my head. It would be tough work, especially all on my own, so I set out to practice it right away. I struggled over the next two hours, but finally after my nth try, I succeeded on making my hair into something really pretty.

_Yes! All I have to do is sweep my bang off to the side, put on some makeup and then the dress. Speaking of the dress, I still have to choose – red or blue?_

I kept my hair as it was and tried on both dresses. The red one looked much better with my current hairstyle. If I put on some red lipstick and did my makeup right, it would look great. I tossed the blue dress into the closet, hanging the red one where I could easily access it, and jumped onto my bed in my t-shirt and shorts. I went through the beauty portion of the magazine, trying to pick out what kind of makeup style I should go with. I wanted something light but I wanted it to be heavy enough that it accentuated my features rather than just piling on top of it.

The rest of the day was lost to my planning and when night arrived, I put on my uniform and tiredly dragged myself out to the car. Reiji wanted to do last-minute shopping at the mall for suits for the brothers to wear so I was forced to come along with them, sitting disinterestedly outside the formal wear store while they did their shopping. I almost fell asleep on the bench waiting for them and had to be jolted awake by Ayato, who threatened to kiss me if I didn't open my eyes.

When we got back home, I immediately assisted with preparing dinner, even though I was sluggish. I picked up the knife and began slicing away at the meat, my drowsiness getting the best of me as I ended up cutting my finger. Wincing in pain, I was brought back to senses and hurriedly went to run my finger underneath the tap water, hoping to avoid detection. Kanato was the first to reach the kitchen, followed soon after by Raito, who spotted me washing the blood from my finger. I had made it in time.

_Phew. That was close. I can't be so careless anymore._

They reluctantly left when they realized the fun was over, Reiji arriving soon afterwards. He stood behind me, staring over my shoulder at the stew boiling on the stove. "You're not a maid nor are you a servant. I don't know why you waste your time with menial tasks such as cooking."

"It's not menial," I protested. "Besides, it helps me relieve stress."

"Leave the rest to the servants. There are some things I need to discuss with you."

I was obedient, handing the tools off to the servants and running to catch up with Reiji's ridiculously fast pace. We ended up in his study, where I was promptly seated and asked what kind of tea I preferred most. I asked for jasmine and carefully watched as he made me a cup, making sure he wasn't trying to drug me like he had before. He stood at my side, gently blowing the surface of the tea before handing the warm cup over to me, his cold fingers brushing against my hand when he transferred it. I flinched but managed to keep a firm grip on the teacup, carefully placing a hand beneath it just in case.

"Thanks," I said reproachfully. I sipped the hot tea as he took a seat across from me, crossing his legs and folding his arms over his chest.

"As you know, tomorrow night the seven of us will be attending the school's prom. It starts at 6 p.m. and there will not be classes that day."

"Oh, really? I thought it was after school."

He overlooked my statement. "By 5:30 p.m. I expect you to be ready and downstairs by then."

"It may only be a school event, but I expect for you to be on your very best behavior, understand?" Reiji stated. "You are representing the Sakamaki family as well, so if by any chance you make a mistake, it would reflect badly upon all of us. Do you know how to ballroom dance?"

"Um, just a little."

I had spent time a few years ago trying to learn but it wasn't too successful. However it wasn't like I didn't know how to, it was just that I might trample on my partners toes a few times while executing the steps. With this in mind, I put on my best smile, hoping he wouldn't notice my doubt.

He took the cup of tea from my hands, hoisting me up by the hand and gracefully sweeping me off my feet. My heart skipped a beat as he wrapped an arm around my backside, the other one clasping firmly onto my hand. His body was pressed gently against mine as he gazed down at me, fixing my posture and ordering me to straighten my back.

"You don't seem very confident in your own abilities," he said. "Very well. I'll make sure you know how to dance before you embarrass us."

Reiji guided me through the basics, not once uttering words of contempt whenever I messed up or forgot a step. Surprisingly, though his gaze was still cool and his words harsh, he was actually quite gentle. He had not brought up Shu nor did he exhibit any signs of wanting to discuss him. I was afraid if I were to accidentally mention him, he would snap and go into a jealous rage. Thus, I put in my best effort to avoid anything related to Shu.

After more than an hour's instruction, Reiji was at last satisfied with my ability and concluded his lesson. He had only snapped harshly at me once, but every other time it was only a gentle slap on the wrist. By then, my tea had gone cold so he made me another cup while I went to take a look at the chemicals he was making and the books he had collected over the years. As I was skimming across the book titles, Reiji gave me my cup, putting on a pair of gloves as he went to mess with the chemicals. I watched him work, observing as he leafed through the pages of the book he had propped open before pouring in a gray solution into the beaker.

He was so immersed in his work that he almost seemed to forget I was standing there beside him. He turned, nearly bumping into me, and moved aside curtly before grabbing another book off the shelf and browsing through it.

_ When he's so focused on his studies like that, he actually is quite good-looking. If he was this nice more often I would like him a lot more._

"What are you making?" I finally asked.

He looked up at me from his book. "A cure to my abnormal heart palpitations," he answered. "Recently, my heart rate has been a lot quicker than usual."

I sat down on the chair, finishing my tea and looking curiously around the study. He really had everything organized neatly, even his tableware collection and chemical vials. I yawned, stretching my arms out and leaning back into the chair, glancing up at Reiji, who had promptly shut the book.

"When do you get your fast heartbeat?" I inquired. "Maybe you're just fatigued."

"It's not fatigue, I sleep and eat enough," he replied. "I get it periodically."

"In that case, I don't want to disturb you any longer then," I said with finality and rose from my seat. "Thanks for teaching me how to dance. I might have made myself look bad if you hadn't refreshed my memory."

As I headed to the door, Reiji stopped me, placing his hand over mine. In one fell swoop, he leaned down, kissing me softly on the cheek. Before I could even react, he had calmly returned to his lab station and was too busy working with the chemicals to notice just how stunned I was. I left the study, closing the door after me and holding a hand to my cheek.

_What in the world was that about?_

I shook it off and headed to my room.

The afternoon of my second-to-last day had finally arrived. I was picking roses from the garden to put in the vases in the house, a basket hanging from my hand as I moseyed through, trying to find the prettiest ones. As I was humming gently to myself, I realized Raito had decided to sneak up on me and quickly turned towards him before he could jump out. Knowing his plans had been thwarted, he lowered his hands from the preparatory stance, straightening himself up as he approached me.

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><p>"Picking flowers?" he inquired, gazing at me with his clear green eyes.<p>

"Mhm."

He stood there idly for a moment but realizing I wasn't going to engage in a conversation with him, he began to help me find the best-conditioned roses.

"Sayumi-chan."

As he passed a rose to me, my finger pricked itself on a thorn and I winced in pain. Raito immediately took the flower from my hands, dropping it into the basket as he took my finger into his mouth.

"I nearly forgot how sweet your blood tastes," he sang as he licked the red liquid clean off. "I just want to eat you all up."

I yanked my finger away from him as soon as there was an opening. He didn't try anything more, wrapping his arms around my shoulders from behind as I counted how many flowers I had in total. There were fourteen of them, which was more than enough. I was going to place one in every vase I saw, seeing how most of the vases were merely hosting wilted, colorless flowers rather than fresh, fragrant ones.

Raito agreed to help me and my job was finished within ten minutes thanks to his assistance. I collapsed on the sofa in the living room, tucking my arms beneath my head and resting my eyes. As I lay there, budding up my energy, I heard someone's footsteps drawing close and opened my eyes to see Ayato staring down at me, his arms crossed over his chest.

_Oh. It's just him._

I closed my eyes again, ignoring him. That proved to be a bad decision. Annoyed that I had completely overlooked his existence, he climbed onto the couch on top of me, his lips suddenly covering my own.

"H-hey!" I snapped, kicking him off of me. He fell backwards, tumbling over the arm of the couch and landing on his butt.

_Geez. All of these guys don't hesitate when it comes to kissing! What are they, children?_

Ayato picked himself back up onto his feet and smirked. "You can't ignore me now, can you?"

"You're right. I really can't." I reluctantly got up, rolling my eyes at his strange method of making sure he didn't go forgotten. "What do you want?"

"Takoyaki. Make it now."

"Do I have to? I'm tired," I sighed. "You make it yourself. I want some rest. Go away."

"You're sounding a lot like that lazy oaf," he accused, picking me up off the couch and dragging me towards the kitchen. "Make it for me."

I was going to yell at him, but then I came up with something ingenious and changed my mind. "If you say 'please' and admit you're not the best at everything, I'll make it for you."

"Huh? Stupid, you think I'm gonna say that crap?" Ayato retorted. "No way."

I sighed, shrugging my shoulders helplessly. "Then I guess I can't make it for you. Maybe if you ask the maids nicely they'll do i-"

"No! I want you to make it!" he exclaimed angrily, grabbing my arm before I could make my escape. "Please, you make it better than me!"

I tried to mask my grin, only to fail miserably. "_And_?"

"If you think I'm going to listen to you and say something so stupid, you're wrong."

_Still stubborn as ever. Well then._

"Okay. Bye, I'm going to go and hang out with Kanato instead-"

"_**No**_!"

I turned and smiled brightly at him, as I would a child. "Well? I'm waiting, Ayato. Say it. It's really easy."

He glared at me, a noticeable rosy hue on his cheeks as he mustered up the courage to say it. He let go of my hand, clearing his throat before mumbling it so quietly that I strained my ears to hear it.

"I'm not the best at everything."

I considered making him say it louder but decided against it, clasping my hands together and beaming. "See? That wasn't hard, was it? I'm not making it unless you give me a hand. It'll be done faster that way."

"Whatever. Just make it already."

The little boy was pleased with his snack and devoured the plate all by himself, making a mess of crumbs everywhere he walked. With a exasperated sigh, I gave up on trying to scold him and grabbed a broom, sweeping the kitchen floors. I ventured off in search of Kanato, whom I had not seen since the night before. He was in his bedroom, sitting on the rocking horse and holding Teddy in his arms as he swayed back and forth. Even in the dark obscurity of his room, I could make out a few toys lying about on the ground and a box of sewing tools by my feet.

He turned his head when he saw the light dancing upon his floor, his eyes locking with mine. "Sayumi-chan, what are you doing here?"

"I was looking for you," I admitted. "Are you hungry?"

He tilted his head to the side, smiling. "Not very."

"Uh, okay. I'll leave you alone then," I said, closing the door before he could respond. Kanato still scared me, but it seemed he had somehow warmed up to me even after all he had tried to do to me. He was unmistakably endearing, though extremely difficult to understand. He was polite and friendly until things didn't go his way. Then, he would go on a furious rampage and destroy his source of anger until it was nothing but tiny pieces of what it once was.

When the maids had accidentally given him a cup of iced lemonade rather than strawberry lemonade, he had gone berserk, screaming at them at the top of his lungs, forcing them to kneel on the ground as he poured the drink all over them, proceeding to smash the cup against the wall and ordering them to clean his mess. I was looking on in the corner of the room fearfully as he turned around, noticing me. Once he had noticed me all his anger vanished and he greeted me with his usual smile. It was terrifying.

So, because of all of my experiences, I deemed it in my best interest to befriend him so he wouldn't suddenly snap and murder me. It had worked, for the most part, and I had even started to like him a bit more. The same applied to Ayato, who I viewed as a child who needed caring for. The two of them I had begun to finally like, even if it was only just a tiny bit.

At the beginning, the Sakamaki brothers were all out to claim me as their own food source and threatened to kill me. Call me delusional, but it felt like things had changed and though they were still a long way from becoming nice, friendly people, I wasn't just a piece of walking delicacy anymore. Perhaps I was only imagining things, but I almost felt like they viewed me as a friend.

Just as I was thinking this, I felt a horrible pain in my head and stopped to rest my body against the pillar of the hall, spreading my breath as I grabbed my head in my hands. After throbbing for a few seconds, it subsided to a dull ache. I let out a relieved sigh and gazed up through the glass ceiling, admiring the bright sunshine outside. It seemed so inviting now, after being trapped in this Arctic-cold house the whole day.

I sat outside, enjoying the sunlight, knowing it was my second-to-last afternoon of being myself. By tomorrow night I would likely be dead, and if not dead, I wouldn't even be human anymore. It was still a shock to me but I had accepted my fate, knowing there really was nothing I could do that would change it.

At least, I had accomplished the most important feat on my bucket list - falling in love. As long as I had done that, dying wasn't so bad, was it?

_Right. Before this all ends, I'm going to tell him how I feel. Or I'll regret not doing it when I'm dead. If you can even regret things when you're dead._

"How should I say it...?"

I closed my eyes, hoping the fresh air would clear up my cloudy mind.

"Hm..."


	16. Bewitching

[Author's Note] Well, school has been quite busy, unfortunately. ;u; How is everyone! Sorry for practically going off the grid! I'm going to try to update more frequently now! With my current schedule, it'll be a challenge, but I'm determined to wrap this up! Enjoy! And please leave me your thoughts! Encouragement is always welcome~ :-) Thank you lovelies! ^^

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><p>Exams flew right by and during break, girls in the corridors expressed their excitement over prom, which would take place the following evening in the school's own ballroom. They spoke excitedly about their limo arrangements, their dining plans, what time to meet up with one another for makeup and hair-styling, and what they would wear. They squealed over the prospect of ending finals week with their dates at prom, where they could finally forget all about their studies. As I stood in the hall with Reiji and Shu, I longed to be able to blend into the conversation, like I usually would back at home. But here, I had no friends beside Yuki, and even Yuki was afraid of being seen with me as well. I was reminded just how lonely I was, seeing all of these girls with their friends.<p>

I haven't spoken to Shu at all since yesterday...

Shu was leaning peacefully against the wall, his arms crossed over his chest and his eyes closed as if shutting everything out. Reiji, on my left, was reading, showing no signs of wanting to talk with me either. He noticed me looking at him and met my eyes, unable to tell how bored and ignored I felt.

"What is it?" he inquired.

"Nothing. What are you reading?"

He showed me the cover of the book - it was The Origin of Species by Charles Darwin. I secretly wanted to ask him if it accounted for the existence of vampires but decided against it knowing he would get mad at me. It got quiet once more and I was left looking like a loner in a hallway full of friendship.

Thankfully, I spotted Subaru walking by himself and flagged him down, expressing my gratitude over a friendly face. "Thank goodness you're here, Subaru."

"Are you that bored that you're happy to see me?" he asked coolly, though there was a hint of kindness in his eyes. "Everyone here's so noisy."

"Yeah, I guess so. Everyone's just excited about prom," I remarked. "I'm excited, too. It'll be nice to go to something like that before... you know."

He softened up when he realized where I was going and gently rested his hand on my shoulder. "You'll survive. Don't tell me you're giving up so easily."

I laughed. "I'm not, I'm just being realistic," I said. "But thank you. You're the only one who's been on my side the entire time. If it weren't for you, I'd probably be done with by now."

"I haven't done anything worth mentioning."

I reached out to him sympathetically. "Don't say that. Subaru, you-"

Shu suddenly moved from where he was, walking past Subaru and down the hallway away from us. Taken by surprise, I stopped mid sentence and watched idly as he stuck his hand in his pockets, calmly passing through as people moved away for him.

"Shu, class starts in a few minutes!" I shouted after him, but to no avail. I released an exasperated sigh as I gave up. "Where is he going?"

Subaru curtly took my hand off of him. "Go after him."

"Huh? But..."

Serious eyes flickered up to mine. I nodded and ran off after Shu, winding my way through groups of girls and boys. I lost him after being delayed by people standing in my way. I assumed he went up the stairs and dashed inside, looking back and forth before going up. I followed my instinct and kept going up the stairs, tiring myself out to reach the very top. I headed down the hall, catching my breath as I pushed open the doors leading to the rooftop. As expected, he was standing there, looking up at the nearly full moon, his back towards me.

For an instant I stood there, unable to move. I forced myself to walk over to him, calling out to him when I got within range. As the school bell rang, indicating the reconvening of exam sessions, he glanced back at me briefly before turning away.

"Exams are starting. Are you planning on failing?" he asked, his voice far colder and biting than I had ever heard it.

"I could say the same to you," I replied. "Our class isn't very far from here. If we go now, we can still make it on time."

"You can go. I lost my interest in finishing those pointless tests."

Feeling irritated with his unwillingness to cooperate, I clenched my hands up into fists. "How can you be so damn lazy? I've never met anyone as weak as you are! This is our last test and you're saying you 'lost interest'? I know tons of humans with more courage than you. Even kids who have no family, no food to eat, no money to spend value themselves and education more than you do. You can't just repeat another year. I won't allow it - I won't allow you to grow old at this school. I know you're worth more than that."

He did not move, nor did he speak. Realizing what I had just said, I clamped a hand over my hasty mouth, mentally scolding myself for being so stupid. Now that I had yelled at him like that, I was more than certain he would hate me. I had originally only planned in coaxing him to come with me, but I had gotten so annoyed with his lack of interest and had snapped as a result.

"I'm not going to take the test unless you are," I declared bravely after a brief pause. "I'm staying here until I can convince you."

Shu exhibited no signs of having even heard me at all and did not even shift from his position. I began to fidget nervously, feeling the pressure of his silence.

Shit, I made him mad, didn't I?

The delay was killing me. I wanted to just leave him and go take the test on my own, but I couldn't just leave him out here and allow him to fail and repeat yet another year. Rooting myself to my spot, I didn't budge, even though my common sense was telling me to go.

At last, he turned around to face me, rubbing the back of his head in a mixture of defeat and exasperation. "You really are a strange girl, willing to fail on my behalf when it has nothing really to do with you. How troublesome."

With that, he grabbed my hand and we headed back into the building. A smile spread across my lips as I squeezed his hand gently, calmed by the warmth encasing my own. We made it on time with only seconds to spare and sat in our own designated seats to complete the final test.

I wonder if he's mad. I said some pretty harsh things but it seems like he wasn't upset. Was he testing me?

As I ran my soapy hands underneath the cool, running water, someone exited the stall directly behind me and washed their hands in the sink next to me. Locks of light brown hair bundled into a side ponytail were detected from the corner of my eye as I glanced into the mirror over at her. She smiled at me and we faced one another directly as I dried my hands on a paper towel.

"Sayumi, was it?" she asked, feigning politeness.

"Well, it's nice to see you again, Miyuki," I responded, watching as she laughed smugly.

"I saw you at the recital. You noticed how much Shu-sama enjoyed my performance, didn't you?" she inquired, striking a nerve inside me that caused me to tremble with rage. "You should have seen how taken he was. Don't you wish he would look at you in the same way?"

Bitch. You're lucky I'm not as unruly as you are.

I did my best to contain my anger, knowing getting into a fight with her was far from what could be considered a solution. Though I wanted nothing more than to punch that smile off of her face, I took much care to retain my reticence and merely smiled at her.

"He may have been taken, but it was by the music, not you," I answered cheerfully. "You play beautifully. It's a shame that such talent was given to a mean girl such as you."

"What did you say?!" she demanded, forcefully seizing my collar.

I tilted my head slightly to the right, smiling. "I rest my case."

I took her hand off of me and left, regrouping with Shu, who had been waiting for me outside. We had already left by the time she had come out and gathered at the entrance, where Raito was surrounded by girls eager to get to dance with him tomorrow night. Reiji turned when he noticed me approaching, pushing his classes up calmly and throwing a quick glare at Shu, who completely ignored him and looked away. The bespectacled male folded his arms over his chest as he walked over to me.

"I have something to discuss with you once we get home," he stated.

I merely nodded, jumping up in surprise when I felt Kanato's presence creeping up behind me, wrapping his thin arms around my waist. I realized with a start that he didn't have Teddy with him like he usually would and twisted my body around, only to come face-to-face with him while he was hugging me.

"Kanato, you're not carrying Teddy around today," I pointed out.

He laughed as if I were telling him a joke. "I don't need Teddy anymore. If I have Sayumi-chan, that should be enough," he confessed, smiling at me through his dark, hooded eyes. "Teddy even told me that himself. That if I had someone like Sayumi-chan, there was no need for him."

Hardly knowing what to make out of what Kanato was telling me, I stood there idly as Ayato pried him off of me, scrambling to get my attention.

"I'll challenge you to another basketball match," he declared as an indignant Kanato stared him down. "You lose, you go as my date tomorrow night. You win, you go with who you want."

"We decided this yesterday already," I sighed.

"No way, that wasn't a fair game at all! Like I said, your chest was all over me. That's cheating," he protested.

"It's not my fault you're easily distracted," I replied. "We had this conversation yesterday! I won, fair and square."

He was stubborn as always and tried to rebel against me even though he clearly remembered our consensus. He was starting to give me a headache when Shu stepped in, ordering us to shut up, which made the whole situation even worse. Ayato and Shu were now glaring at each other and I was stuck right in the middle of it. I zoned out their fighting when a wave of pain shot through my head once more, reminding me of my episode just earlier back at the house.

Grimacing, I lifted a hand to my forehead, massaging my temple with my fingers and hoping it would relieve me of some of the stress. Reiji noticed my unusual behavior first and gazed down at me with an indecipherable expression. His cold hand gently pushed away my own, the coolness of his skin providing instant relief.

"It must be the effects of the transformation," he spoke, regretfully withdrawing his hand from my forehead and pressing it against my cheek and then my neck, where he checked my pulse. "After dinner, get rest immediately."

"Okay."

He stared at me for a moment, his red eyes transfixed upon my own, before suddenly pulling away. "Strange. Of all times, why must I have the stirring in my chest?" he muttered to himself as the car pulled up in front of us.

Dinner was waiting for us by the time we got back. I took my usual spot beside Ayato and across from Shu and ate quietly, feeling anxious about the arrival of the final day. Tomorrow was when everything would happen. I would find out whether or not I would become a vampire or if I would perish during the process of it. I couldn't decide what was worse - losing my humanity or dying. It was difficult to eat calmly when I realized that if I did in fact become a vampire, I would have cravings for blood more often than for pizza or hamburgers. The thought made me nervous and I ravenously shoved the tasty food down my throat.

"Pig," Ayato commented as he watched me wolf down my entire plate of food. "You eat more than I do."

Ignoring him, I continued to scarf down the food until I absolutely could eat no more. Reiji was waiting to speak with me afterwards so I joined him in the corridor, feeling tired after having ate so much in such a small amount of time.

"Tomorrow, it's more important than before that you don't leave our sight for more than an instant," he said. "Once you start to transform, we'll leave immediately to come back here. Until that happens, I expect for you to be responsible enough not to wander off on your own, am I clear?"

"Yes."

He let out a huff, and without prior warning, cupped my cheek in his hand, bringing my eyes up to his. "You will live. You are forbidden to die. Understood?"

That's easy for you to say, I thought.

"What's the chances of me even living past this transformation when nobody else has?" I asked gravely. My throat felt dry and it was difficult not to fall apart when I challenged the odds. "If those other girls didn't live, what makes me any different?"

Reiji's gaze hardened as he tucked strands of my hair behind my ear. "The tea you drank yesterday was specifically concocted to boost your preparedness. It stabilized your stress levels back to normal to ready your body for the pressure of the transformation. The fate of those before you should be the least of your concerns. Get some rest."

So, in the end, Reiji ended up helping me, didn't he? After treating me so cruelly and obsessively, it's hard to believe he's on my side. I don't understand his thinking at all.

"…I will. Goodnight, Reiji."

When I got to my room after brushing my teeth, I found that Shu was fast asleep on my bed, one of his arms cushioning his head while the other was folded across his stomach. I dug quietly through my clothes drawers to find something comfortable to wear to sleep and after checking to make sure he wasn't awake, I changed into my pajamas and switched off the light. I climbed into bed, careful not to rouse him when suddenly he grabbed me by the arm and yanked me towards him.

"Hey!" I cried as he wrapped his strong arms around my waist.

My heart raced in my chest as his sweet scent enveloped my entire body, encasing me in safety and warmth. I resisted the urge to nestle up against him, pushing him away from me and nearly rolling off the edge of the bed in recoil. Had he not held onto my hand, I would have fallen off the side.

"What are you doing in my room?" I demanded as he loosened his grip on my wrist. "You have your own bedroom for a reason, you know."

"My room was too far," he explained, yawning noisily. The light of the nearly full moon filtered in through my window, highlighting the contours of his prince-like face. I found myself feeling flustered and hastily moved to shove him off the bed, my arms hardly strong enough to budge him more than an inch or two.

"Get out! I need to sleep," I instructed. "Don't be lazy. Your room is only down the hall."

"It's too much of a hassle," he grumbled. "I let you sleep in my room before. Shouldn't you return the favor?"

"No. Now please leave. I'll kick you if I have to," I threatened, though he showed no signs of listening to me. "You're so lazy! I give up."

Heaving a sigh, I curled up in bed with him, keeping a safe distance between us, trying to ignore the fact he was lying only inches away from me. I pinched my eyes closed, turning my back to him and scooting further away. After a while I relaxed, though it was still impossible for me to get to sleep with him right there behind me.

"You're still awake, aren't you?" he said aloud after about half an hour of my lying awake. Ignoring him, I pretended to be asleep, hearing as he sighed, moving to pull me towards the middle of the bed where I wasn't dangling off of the side. "Stupid. I can feel your fast heartbeat. Don't try to fool me."

"What fast heartbeat? Who said I was trying to trick you?" I answered as he draped an arm over me, resting his head against my back. "H-hey, I'm not a pillow you know."

"Stop being so noisy, I'm trying to sleep," he muttered, the heat from his body instantly soothing me. After a few moments elapsed, I released the tension in my shoulders, melting into him and falling fast asleep.


	17. Prom

[Author's Note] Well, I am currently writing up the endings for the story and wOW it's tough. I'm 90% done with the first ending and I still have two more to go. *cries* Well, just leaving this here for you all! And thank you for all of the reviews, it really inspires me to continue writing more! :-)

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><p>"Hey. Get up, it's noon already."<p>

My eyelids fluttered open and I found myself looking up at Shu's handsome face. Forcing myself to sit up, I rubbed my eyes in a tired fashion as I checked the time on the bedside clock - it was nearly 1 p.m. already, four hours past the time I usually woke up. I flew out of bed, grabbing some clothes to wear and hurried to shower and brush my teeth. If it was already 1 p.m., then it was time that I got everything ready for tonight. I had less than four hours until it was time to go so I did everything as quickly as I could - I finished bathing, brushing my teeth, and eating brunch by the time it was 2 p.m.

_Shoot! How could I oversleep like that?_

As I sat in my bedroom, painting my nails red, I hopped over on one foot to open the windows and let the strong smell of the polish out. After applying two coats and making sure it was all even, I waddled over to the bathroom where I dunked my feet and my hands into cold water so it would dry faster. After my nails were done I went to work on making sure my skin was properly moisturized and any remaining facial hair plucked from my face.

_It's 3:45 p.m. already?!_

Since I had used so much time making sure my nails were nice, I had ended up wasting time. I hurriedly put on my prom dress and devoted a majority of my time to styling my hair, redoing it twice before I was finally satisfied with how it turned out. The only thing left for me to do was put on my accessories and my make-up, which would take quite some time if I wanted to make it look nice. By the time it was 4:30 p.m., I was still working on my eyeliner with less than an hour left to get things perfect.

Once it was 5 p.m., I had already finished applying the appropriate amount of makeup and was rummaging through my jewelry box, looking for a necklace and bracelet that matched my dress. It took me ten minutes to find something that complemented my dress and hair, but I was satisfied. I messed up my nail polish on my index finger when trying to clasp on my necklace so I was forced to remove the polish and reapply it, blowing impatiently on it to speed up the drying process as someone knocked on my door.

"Are you ready yet? It's 5:25," Reiji asked from behind the door.

"Oh! Just a second!" I shouted, slipping on my heels and looking at myself in the mirror. "Ah, I look so different! But I like it a lot."

My hair was perfect. My dress was perfect. My makeup and accessories were perfect. So were my shoes. I felt beautiful for the first time in a long time.

"Hurry up, we don't want to be la-"

I threw open the door, smiling calmly at Reiji, who had suddenly stopped scolding me. "Sorry, I just wanted to make sure everything was the way I wanted it. This is the first time I've been excited about going to a dance. Did I go too overboard?" I asked, feeling self-conscious with the way he was staring at me.

"No. It's fine," he remarked, pushing up his glasses and coolly clearing his throat. "Hurry and get to the car, the maids will be taking photographs."

He stormed off before I could react, the tail of his coat flapping behind him as he disappeared down the hallway. Shrugging my shoulders, I closed my bedroom door and walked downstairs, my heels clicking noisily on the tile floor. The front door was already open for me, so after making my way down the staircase, I followed the red carpet down to the exit, where I could see the limousine parked right up front. I took a deep breath, hearing the impatient chattering of the other boys.

_Will they like how I look? Did I overdo it? What is Shu going to think?_

I took a deep breath before stepping out the front door, the clicking of my heels altering the brothers as I headed over to them with an apologetic smile on my face. "Sorry for taking so long."

"We've been out here for twenty _minu_-" Ayato cut himself off when he laid eyes on me, all anger vanishing from his face in an instant.

Everyone, dressed in suits and ties, stopped what they were doing to gaze at me, seeming to be in shock. I probably looked like a whole different person after actually putting in so much effort to look my greatest.

_Oh no. I think I overdid it... Ayato is practically glaring at me._

After what seemed like twenty years of a continuous awkward silence, Raito cried out in delight, a rosy hue tinting his cheeks as he smiled at me.

"Sayumi-chan is quite sexy, isn't she?" he sighed dreamily, looking me up and down. "For an instant, I lost my breath."

Kanato nodded his head in agreement, walking over towards me and gently grasping onto my hands. Before I could react, he leaned forward, kissing me promptly on the cheek.

"I have never seen anyone as beautiful as you, Sayumi-chan," he commented, using the well-mannered way of speaking like he usually did.

I couldn't help but smile at his flattering comment. "Thank you, Kanato."

"Hey, move it."

Ayato pushed Kanato off of me, staring down at me with his bright green eyes. His gaze travelled from my intricately braided hair to my uncertain eyes, following a downward path towards my red lips and settling on my chest. His stare lingered there for a moment before he looked down, reaching a hand between the slit on the side of my dress and grabbing onto my thigh. I cried out in surprise, glaring at him in annoyance as he let go of my leg, his hand reaching out to touch my chest.

"Excuse you!" I said, swatting his hand away. "I'm in a good mood, so don't you dare spoil it for me."

Instead of snapping at me like I expected he would, he smiled genuinely at me, looking almost innocent when he did so. "I like this look on you."

Softening up almost immediately, I lowered my indignant hand, only to have Raito come up to me and take it in his own. He kissed the top of my hand, ignoring Ayato's irritated glare from beside him.

"Sayumi-chan, you're going to steal the hearts of all of the boys there," he remarked. "You've already taken mine."

_Er… since when?_

"Uh..."

Thankfully, I was saved by Ayato, who knocked his forehead against Raito, causing him to let go of me. I hastily held onto the skirt of my dress and moved past him, arriving before Subaru, Reiji, and Shu who were all staring at me with various expressions. Subaru looked almost upset, his eyes flickering to and from my face and my dress. Reiji appeared to be agitated and was morbidly silent, his arms folded seriously over his chest. I was most nervous about Shu's reaction to my dress and could not muster the courage to see for myself.

_Wow. He looks so hot in a suit._

I felt the heat blossoming in my cheeks and lifted a hand to cover my mouth, shyly hoping noticing I had checked him out. The suit complemented him so well. I was so accustomed to seeing him wearing the same type of clothes that finally getting a glimpse of him in a clean, sharp tuxedo was enough to make my heart stop. He had long legs and a tall, lean stature, not to mention royal, prince-like facial features and gorgeous, golden locks of hair. He was hot enough to fry me on spot.

"You..." Subaru muttered in a low voice, snapping me out of my thoughts. He clearly blushed when I matched his gaze with my own and immediately averted his red orbs. "... Y-your dress is nice."

"Thank you. I think so too," I replied.

The dress I had chosen for this event was particularly special in that it had once belonged to my great-grandmother, a strong, independently-motivated woman who sought to do things her way rather than conforming with what society expected of women in her time. From the way my relatives described her and from old photographs we had of her, I knew she was a wonderful woman. My grandmother had once told me she was a stubborn lady who was able to charm everyone with her eccentricity and unrivaled beauty. According to my older relatives, I looked just like she did when she was my age and behaved like her too.

My grandma passed away four years ago, but on my fourteenth birthday I remember how surprised yet delighted I was to receive this dress as a present. I had never even worn it before - tonight was the first night I had actually put it on, and it was a strikingly perfect fit. It was neither too tight nor too loose - it wrapped around my body comfortably, plus it was absolutely gorgeous. If my grandmother were still here, what would she have told me?

_No… what would Mom think?_

My mom had expressed her excitement over my reaching adulthood. If she were here in Japan, standing before me seeing me in great-grandma's prom dress, she would be happy, wouldn't she? America felt like a whole world away from here. If it was evening in Japan, then over in America, where she lived, it would be a few hours past midnight, if I was calculating it correctly. It had been so long since I had seen her or heard her voice. I wished she were here with me. It felt empty without a mom here to take me in her arms and tell me how beautiful I was and happy she was that I was her daughter.

_I wonder how different life would have turned out for me if I ended up living with Mom in America instead. Would I still have gotten into this mess?_

As I gave it more thought I knew that even if I did end up moving to the United States with her, I still would have been taken here by Richter someway, somehow. I still would have found out my father was a false, though I think the news would hit me less hard as it really had.

Wrapped up in my 'what-ifs', I didn't even realize Shu was already in front of me, taking my hand gingerly in his hand kissing it. I would have screamed, had I not clamped my free hand over my mouth in surprise. A bashful flush crept into my cheeks as he smiled gently down at me, tugging me gently towards him. Completely abandoning any other thoughts, I shyly met his tentative gaze, my heart skipping a beat as he looked at me with those beautiful, shining blue eyes of his.

Reiji, Subaru, and I – hell, everyone was taken aback by Shu's sudden behavior. I placed a hand over my rapidly beating heart, feeling faint as he slipped an arm around my waist. The maids, who had been standing with their cameras, seemed to be flustered as well, if not more than I was. Their cameras seemed to be frozen as they watched Shu lean over to whisper into my ear.

"This look suits you well," he murmured, his breath causing me to shudder as he pulled calmly away, as if it was the most normal thing in the world.

_I think I'm going to faint…_

He didn't realize it, but he had the power to make my heart soar just from his simple compliment. Hearing that from him made me happier than I ever expected it to. The hard work and effort I had put into making myself look my best – it was all worth it now, wasn't it? Call me selfish, but all I wanted all along was a compliment from him. Now that I had it, I felt empowered with an abnormal strength. Warmth bloomed within my heart as I gazed up at him, his handsomeness enough to rob me of my breath and sanity. From the corner of my eye I could see Reiji scrunching his hands into envious fists, but I was too transfixed with Shu to notice or care, for that matter.

Before we left, photographs were taken of us. I took one with each brother, having to smack Ayato in the face several times because he kept on playfully grabbing at my butt. legs, or chest. After ending with a few group shots, we were sent on our way and I sat excitedly between Kanato and Subaru, who kept coughing whenever I would look his way and averting his eyes.

_How cute. Is he shy?_

I flattened out my skirt and looked down at my dress. Although it was passed down to me, it was in flawless condition. It was strapless, with a sweetheart neckline that sloped in right between my breasts. My necklace rested right above the valley between my breasts, a thin golden chain holding onto a smooth ruby heart. The skirt of my dress was long, passing my knees and ending a few inches before my ankle. There was a slit by my left thigh, giving it a sexy yet mature feel. A lightly jeweled sash hugged my waist, the dress fitting to accentuate my curves. The silver waistline matched perfectly with my silver heels, which fit surprisingly well on my feet.

Gazing out the window, I wondered how long it would be until the time finally came. How much longer did I have to enjoy myself alive and as a human? An hour? Two hours? Five hours? I didn't even know when it was going to happen, but I couldn't help but feel nervous about it. Well, when it happened, it happened. I would live out whatever time I had to the fullest, and that's all there was to it.

We pulled up to the front of the school, where people were standing around with their dates and their friends, clad in gorgeous dresses and suits. Raito was the first to step out of the car, throwing his arms up and smiling joyfully. Almost immediately, girls flocked towards him, leaving behind their dates to take pictures with him and compliment him on how handsome he looked. Ayato was the next one out, adjusting his bowtie and grimacing at the mob of girls Raito so effortlessly attracted. Kanato was next, then me. As soon as I moved towards the door and was about to step out, Raito pushed past the swarm and offered his hand out to me, bowing in a gentlemanly manner. Ayato, feeling threatened, did the same, demanding with his eyes for me to take his hand instead.

"Is that Sayumi-san?" a girl inquired.

"Wow. I never noticed it before, but she really is beautiful."

"She's so lucky! I would love to ride in a limo with the Sakamaki siblings!"

"She looks like a princess. I'm jealous. Maybe I should have gone for a red dress, too."

I held both of my hands out, allowing Raito and Ayato to help me down onto the curb. I felt self-conscious with everyone's eyes on me, but I did my best to keep my cool and smiled amiably at all of the others, bowing my head in greeting. Girls who would usually cast envious eyes at me were moved by my casual friendliness and returned the bows, complimenting my dress and hair. Feeling as if I had finally been accepted, I couldn't help but allow my happiness to show on my face.

Subaru exited the vehicle after me, causing girls to squeal and whisper amongst themselves about how handsome he was. He looked annoyed by all of the attention and hurried over to my side, standing where he would be hidden from the prying eyes of the other students. Next came Reiji and Shu, who exited the car subsequently, gaining the full attention of the fawning masses. A few girls even took pictures of the two brothers as they came over to me, unknowingly surrounding me like bodyguards.

Drawn in by all of the commotion, Yuki and her friends bounded up to us. The jubilant, orange-haired girl cried out when she saw me, drawing me in for a hug.

"Senpai, you're so beautiful!" she whined, nestling her head against mine. "I wanna be as pretty as you are!"

I couldn't help but giggle as I returned her embrace. "Yuki-chan, you're gorgeous. Don't compare yourself to me! I'm plain!"

She almost looked like she was going to cry. "I'm gorgeous? Really? I can die happy now knowing senpai complimented me like that."

Raito, setting eyes upon her, immediately slid over to her, drawing his arm about her petite frame. "My, my, what a pretty young lady! I'm smitten!"

"Hey, lay off of her," I ordered, yanking him off of the visibly uncomfortable Yuki.

Yuki thanked me gratefully after I shoved Raito to the back of the group, where he busied himself with the other girls pining for his attention. "Shu, you're accompanying my senpai tonight?"

Shu rubbed the back of his head in disinterest. "Yes."

"Then I expect you to treat her well. If not, I won't forgive you, even if you are older than I am," she warned, surprising him. "Reiji, you too. Make sure you take care of Sayumi-senpai! I don't want anything bad to happen to her."

"Of course," Reiji responded, practically glaring at her.

Ayato rested his elbow on my shoulder, using me as an armrest as he scrutinized Yuki. "Hey, you're that little twerp from the other day!"

"I may be little, but I'm not a kid," she shot back as her friends tried to hold her back. "Don't think for a second that I'm too afraid to talk back to you!"

"Ha!" Ayato scoffed, a derisive smile tugging at his lips. "Quit it with the tough act, kid."

"Ayato, don't be mean!" I scolded, watching as he laughed in amusement.

"I'm not being mean," he defended himself, though he was clearly enjoying Yuki's anger. I sighed, leaving Ayato with Kanato as I walked over to a quieter place with Yuki and her friends.

"Sorry, they're not usually like this," I apologized, bowing on their behalf.

Instead of being angry like I assumed they would be, the girls smiled up at me in awe.

"I've never seen someone with that much influence over the Sakamakis," one of them remarked. I recognized her as the one who had performed a solo piece after Miyuki at the music recital. "You handled them so easily. I didn't think anyone could do something like that."

I chuckled. "Really?"

"You must have some super powers or something," another joked. "How do you manage all six of them? Don't they fight a lot?"

"Senpai is the greatest, don't even bother questioning her!" Yuki said in exasperation. "You're amazing if you can handle Raito and Ayato-kun. Reiji is scary too. How do you do it?"

The four of us exchanged casual conversation before Ayato ordered me back to the group. I nodded my head to the girls, wishing them a fun night as I rejoined the others, who were moving towards the entrance of the school building. The ballroom was on the second floor of the school, about a five minutes walk from here minus the traffic of the other excited attendees. As I was just thinking about how thrilled I was to finally attend prom, someone tapped my shoulder and I turned around to find two different people standing with their hands extended out to me.

Smiling, I accept their hands, allowing them to link their arms with mine, one on each side.

_At last…_

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><p><em><strong>Who are they? Take your pick and see where fate takes Sayumi…<strong>_

A) Subaru and Ayato

B) Reiji and Shu

C) Kanato and Raito


	18. Ending Information!

Sorry to disappoint you guys, but this isn't a chapter update!

I'm so happy that I finally reached 100+ reviews and 100+ follows! Thank you all so much for supporting me and my writing for all of this time and I'm sincerely sorry for leaving this behind and failing to update for such a large window of time. However, I'm happy to say that I have regained a strong drive to finish this all up and plan to have everything completely finished before the end of this month!

What did you think of the last chapter? Interesting, right? It's finally reaching the end! Sayumi's story is finally drawing to a close... or is it?

Seems like a lot of you picked Choice B, Reiji and Shu being the ones to escort Sayumi into the prom. Hm... Shu may be the main guy, but is that the right answer? There is no telling what really is the right choice in this situation, is there?

Whichever pair of boys that you choose, you will still be able to see the other endings. There will be three alternate endings - a good ending, a twisted ending, and a bad ending. Which choices lead to which ending I will not disclose yet, because that will just ruin all of the fun!

When I'm done writing all three endings, I will post all three of them on here and the chapter titles will be "A", "B", and "C". Just click on the chapter that corresponds to your letter choice and see where Sayumi ends up!

Any questions, please message me! And check my website (linked on my profile) for updates!

[P.S. For all of my Spanish-speaking readers, the amazing TheTranslator001 has translated my fanfic into Spanish! Find it here!]


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